Numbers
by FiveFootTwo
Summary: Different one-shots in Beca and Jesse's relationship as it moves forward starting with the kiss. It begins one second, minute, hour, day, week, month, and year after the kiss and continues on from there. Chapter 10 now up and the story is complete! Rating after Chapter 4 a soft M for language, etc.
1. One

"You're such a weirdo."

One second after their lips meet for the first time, she knows it's special. She can feel him smiling into their kiss as she responds, smiling back. Her heart is pounding and she feels her stomach drop and her insides clench as she feels his hands move to her waist.

One minute after that kiss, she's sitting a row behind him with the Bellas, and he's with the Treblemakers. She resists the urge to run her hands through his hair, or poke him in the shoulder to divert his attention back to her.

One hour after they kiss, the Bellas have hoisted her up on their shoulders while their shining National Championship trophy waves triumphantly over her head. She scans the room and sees his proud gaze meet hers, and it's the best moment of her life to date.

When the hugs and the cheering and the congratulatory remarks subside and the crowd around her finally dissipates, she sees him standing on the sidelines, patiently waiting for her just like he always has. Her heart skips a beat, and she can feel the butterflies churn in her stomach as he slowly approaches her, his eyes alight with questions.

"Walk with me?" she asks him, and he nods.

They exit the theater and find themselves on a crowded New York City street in the early hours of evening. Beca is unsure of what to say, how to begin, and she nervously crosses her arms across her chest as they walk.

Once the crowd begins to thin a bit as they turn onto a less busy street, Jesse turns to her. It seems that for once, he too is at a loss for words. "So," he begins hesitantly, "Did my ears deceive me or did you just serenade me in public, for the entire world to see?"

"The ICCA's are only shown on some random cable channel," she counters, sighing, "And only you know the meaning of that song."

"Oh, do I?" he questions. "I mean, I know it's from the most amazing movie ever, but wait…did you actually watch it finally?"

"Yes," she admits.

"And?"

"And I cried like a baby, ok?" she smiles, punching him teasingly in the arm.

"She does have a heart!" he exclaims, continuing their banter as usual, but she freezes at this remark, and he turns around to look at her.

"Jesse," she breathes, and her voice is so soft he almost can't hear it over the ambient noise of the city. She doesn't meet his gaze as she takes a deep breath, "You asked me why I push everyone away and I said I didn't know. I do know."

They've walked about a block or so from the theater, and found themselves entering Central Park. She's started walking again, and he doesn't comment as he follows her.

"I told you my parents are divorced, but I haven't told you why. My dad, he left when I was 10. He left my mother and me for another woman. For Sheila, my now step-monster. I knew that my parents had been fighting. I knew they weren't happy. But I thought my dad still loved me. And then one day he just wasn't there anymore."

She feels Jesse's hand grasp her own as she continues, "My mother went into a depression. For a while I felt like I was taking care of myself. I started getting into music then because it was the only thing that made sense to me. I could lose myself in it and not think or feel. My mom slowly became herself again, and my dad tried to act like nothing had happened. I didn't speak to him for a long, long time."

She doesn't notice that they're now sitting on a bench, their bodies turned toward each other, their knees touching. He hasn't let go of her hand.

"He called constantly, and visited, and begged me to visit him. But I was stubborn and just so angry. I mean, how could he leave me? I was his only daughter. He was supposed to love me, right? And I was angry at myself for still loving him, for still wanting to make him proud. So one day he came to my house and told me that if I went to Barden for one year and gave it a real chance that he'd support me if after that I still wanted to go to L. A. to DJ. He said I could go for free since he teaches there. And so, I went, because I couldn't afford to go to L. A. without his help.

"I wanted to hate it, and I did at first. But then I met you and I joined the Bellas, and I actually liked it. It was starting to be _fun_. And you know me, I'm a destroyer of all things fun," she quips, laughing to herself. She's gazing out at the park, still not looking at him.

"Being alone has worked for me, all this time. But when I lost the Bellas and you, I just—I watched your movie and I cried. I cried because it's about people that don't belong together but somehow fit. I cried because it was equally beautiful and sad," she says, echoing his words. She can feel him staring at her, "I cried because it reminded me of you," she finally whispers, turning to meet his gaze.

"Why?" he asks quietly.

"Because!" she suddenly exclaims, "Because you're you! You're persistent, and happy, and confident, and just everything I'm not. Your family is like an 80's sitcom. You don't need my drama, my freak-show of a life to mess all that up. Don't you get it? I'm broken," and he sees her deflate next to him.

"You are not broken," he replies, "You're the most amazing, intriguing person I've ever met."

"There you go again, with the flattery," she shakes her head.

"It's not flattery, it's the truth. Seriously Beca, how can you not see how aca-awesome you are?" he smiles his award-winning dorky grin at her, and she can't help but smile in response.

"Jesse," she whispers, and he silently vows to do whatever it takes to make Beca Mitchell say his name that way always. Her eyes are pleading with him, asking questions she has yet to voice, wanting to know if everything is going to be ok.

He leans forward slowly and presses his lips to hers. The kiss is slow and deliberate this time, and when his tongue seeks entrance to her mouth, she allows it. He runs a hand up through her hair, toying with the ends of it while his other hand reaches around her, holding her to him. She has one hand on his knee at first, and as she relaxes into the kiss she moves both to cup his face before reaching behind his neck to pull him even closer to her. When they finally break apart, Jesse leans his forehead on hers.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," he tells her.

"Since you first saw me get out of a taxi?" she jokes.

"Yes," he says sincerely, and she rolls her eyes.

"Jesse, be serious," she counters, but that familiar sparkle in her eyes that he loves is back.

"I am serious," he replies, "I told you, we were going to end up best friends and/or lovers."

She blushes a little at that, glad for the darkness that hides her from him. "Well, that's because you're a total nerd," she quips.

"Yes, but I'm your nerd," he whispers into her ear, and she shudders involuntarily. "Cold?" he asks.

She stands abruptly, "We should be heading back now," she tells him, "If we miss the after-party everyone is going to start rumors about us."

"Oh right, and I'd _hate_ that," he replies sardonically, grinning wickedly at her. She shakes her head, taking her hand in his.

"Come on weirdo," she pulls him up off the bench and they walk back to their hotel hand in hand.

They slip into the after party and mingle as if nothing had happened. The Bellas pounce on Beca, begging for gossip, but she just shakes her head and says that they're friends again. Nobody really believes her, especially when they catch Jesse staring at her from across the room. And they really don't believe it after they see them dance to a slow song, with no discernable space between them.

His arms are clasped behind her back as they sway to the music. Her head leans on his chest and as she makes out the faint beat of his heart, she decides that it's here in his arms that she finally feels safe.

They leave the party separately, but Beca is waiting for him this time, leaning against the corridor wall trying to appear casual as he passes by with Benji. He stops and Benji nods, bidding them goodnight as he disappears into their shared hotel room for the night.

"I just wanted to say goodnight," she says shyly. She's never done this before, had a boyfriend. She doesn't know what it's supposed to be like.

She reaches up to pull his head down to her level before kissing him soundly, nipping at his bottom lip with her teeth before her tongue pushes into his mouth. And he has to resist the urge to scoop her up and take her to his bed, never mind the fact that Benji is in the next bed.

She pulls away and smiles up at him, "Goodnight," and then with a grin, "You know for a dork you're a fantastic kisser." And then she turns on her heels and disappears out of sight.

Jesse knows it's going to take him a long while to fall asleep. Just as he's finally settled in bed, he hears a quiet knock on his door. He rubs his eyes and gets up to open the door, wearing only his boxers and a t-shirt, to reveal Beca. She's not wearing any makeup and her earrings are all missing, and she's dressed in a tank top and very short shorts.

"I couldn't sleep," she admits.

"Me neither," he replies softly, and takes her by the hand and leads her to his bed. She curls into his side with her head on his chest and relaxes into him. His heart is pumping loudly in his chest and he hopes she can't hear it as he plants a kiss to the top of her head.

"Much better," she sighs, and he smiles in the darkness.

One day later and they are on a plane returning to Barden. Jesse has switched seats with Stacie so they can sit together. She falls asleep with her head on his shoulder, their hands clasped together.

One week later and they are spending most, if not all of their free time together. Kimmy Jin just rolls her eyes at them as she leaves with her posse of friends each night when Jesse shows up with a DVD and popcorn in hand. And it's the same as it was before, with them hanging out, except there's a lot more kissing, and touching, and talking.

They talk about everything. And she tries, really tries, to be as open as she can. She still doesn't like talking about her past or her childhood, because it just makes her feel angry and sad –two emotions she'd rather not feel when she's with Jesse. And when he talks about his childhood and his family she thinks that maybe, just maybe happy endings do exist.

They're on her bed watching Little Miss Sunshine one night. Kimmy Jin is out for the night, having gone home for the weekend. Beca is actually watching this movie. It's funny, and serious, and filled with fantastic music. As the score begins playing she feels the tears prick at her eyes, and she can feel his gaze on her.

"You're missing it," she tells him.

"I've seen it already," and she can't help but notice the hushed tone of his voice that sounds so incredibly sexy.

"It's just—the music, it's so," she sniffs, "Beautiful."

"You're beautiful," he replies, shifting towards her. She turns her head in time for his lips to collide with hers. His kiss is desperate, filled with emotion. She fists one hand in his hair and the other begins tugging on the thin material of his tight-fitting t-shirt. She pulls him down so that he is hovering over her, supporting his weight as she opens her mouth to kiss him more deeply.

And then it happens, she says his name. "Jesse," she purrs into his ear, and he instinctively pushes his hips against hers. She shifts underneath him, pushing him off her for a second, but before he can question her she's pulling her shirt up over her head and grasping at his and both garments end up in a discarded heap on the floor.

When she's completely exposed to him for the first time, she tries to cover herself. "Don't," he tells her. "You're perfect," he adds, and he means it.

They can't help but notice how they fit together perfectly. He savors every inch of her body, and she learns how to nibble on a spot right under his ear that drives him wild. And later, when they're lying in the darkness of her room, he traces the outline of each of her tattoos.

As he reaches up to skim the flowers on her shoulder she mutters sleepily, "I got that one for my mother."

"Really?" he asks, wanting her to continue.

"Yeah. Kind of like a tribute, because she's always been there for me. She's the one who stayed. And she works really hard so that I can have the things I need in life. Most of these other things I did to annoy my dad," she gestures to her ear spike and dark makeup, "But that one is for her."

As Jesse presses a soft kiss to the tattoo, he feels his heart constrict for her and everything she is.

One month later and the semester is over. Everywhere they look students are carrying luggage and boxes, and they know that soon they will have to be apart for months. Beca has been fighting an internal battle all week over something, but she hasn't let on to Jesse what's bothering her. He hopes it's just because she's going to miss him, because God knows he's going to miss her. A lot.

They're at the station, completing their final shift of the year. He's trying to make her laugh by mocking the various CD's and albums they're stacking. And she's smiling, but there's still something behind her eyes that he can't quite put his finger on yet.

"Come on Becs," he quips, "This is grade A material here. You know my dorkiness is all part of my charm."

"I know," she sighs, "It's one of the reasons I love you."

"What?" he breathes out, as her jaw drops with the reality of what she just said.

"I mean—I," she stutters, turning away from him, unable to look him in the eye.

"Beca," he's using that tone she loves. He steps closer to her, turning her around to face him. He sweeps a stray piece of hair out of her face and looks into her eyes. "I love you too," he says simply.

"You do?" she squeaks, unsure.

"God yes," he says, "I've been wanting to tell you for so long now."

"Since when?" she asks him.

And he tries to pinpoint the exact moment he knew, but a million little things enter his stream of consciousness, and he doesn't know precisely when. "Since always," he decides on his answer.

"You're an idiot," she tells him, "There's no way that you could have loved me always, you didn't even—" he silences her with a kiss filled with passion. She doesn't even realize she's moving backward until she comes into contact with something solid behind her. He's trailing kisses down her neck and she's losing all ability to think coherently.

"What do you say we break Luke's rule, give him a little something to remember us by?" Jesse chuckles in her ear seductively.

She hops up on the desk, "Come here, nerd," she laughs into his lips as clothes are discarded once more.

They race out of the studio, hand in hand, still laughing about Luke's expression when he came in to find them disheveled and in a partial state of dress after lunch. When they left he was mumbling something about 'stupid immature interns' while going to get some cleaning supplies from the back. And when they finally stop running Jesse's mumbling something under his breath about a 'damn six-pack' when Beca silences him with a kiss.

One year later and they've just tied for second place at the ICCA's. Beca has taken over the Bellas and Jesse the Treblemakers, and they're relieved to see an end to their rivalry. It was all in good fun, of course, but they work better when they're on the same side. Their time is split between his room in the Treble house and her now single dorm room across campus.

She's sprawled across his bed, with only a sheet to cover her naked form when she hears music playing outside the window. She curses inwardly before opening her eyes to glance at the clock. It's 7:15 in the evening. She must have dozed off after their early afternoon activities. Speaking of which, where was Jesse?

She jumps up, pulling her clothing back on as she leaves the room in search of him. She hears the Trebles practicing the backbeat to David Guetta's Without You in the shared common room downstairs. She hops down the steps, and then she hears it, his voice.

He's singing, and when he finally comes into view he's staring directly at her. It's then that she notices the rest of the Bellas are there too. He's serenading her in front of everyone. When the song finishes, she has tears threatening to spill out as she pulls him into a hug.

"Jesse, what—" she starts.

"Happy One Year together, Becs," he explains, kissing her softly.

"You're such a weirdo," she smiles into his lips, pulling them back down to hers once more.


	2. Two

Two seconds into the kiss, and his brain hasn't registered what's happening yet, only that it's the most exhilarating moment of his life, so far anyway.

Two minutes later and he's trying to focus on the performance onstage, but all he wants to do is turn around and kiss her senseless. He inhales deeply, but her taste is still on his lips and he smells faintly of her.

Two hours later and they're sitting together on that park bench, with her lips pressed against his once more, and it's all that he's wanted since the moment he first laid eyes on her. She looks so fragile as she confesses her past, and he knows that this hard exterior is only a façade. He knows that she's vulnerable, and he has to tread carefully. He's terrified of gaining her and losing her at the same time.

She's in turmoil, because she's never opened up to anyone before. But it's something about Jesse, the way that he is so honest with her and uninhibited; it makes her want to be something more. She's put on a brave face for so long she doesn't know how to show anyone her true self. And she's afraid, so afraid of what this means for him, for them.

Two days later and they're back at Barden. The high of winning has chilled to a slight twinge in her heart, and she finds she has a lot more time on her hands now that she's not spending every waking minute with the Bellas. And then there's Jesse. Jesse.

He joins her on the quad after class, tossing her a juice pouch as he rambles on about something that happened in his art history class. She's only half listening, as her eyes flicker over the outline of his jaw, or the way his skin seems flawless in the afternoon sun. Their banter is the same, but now when Jesse sits down beside her the entire length of her hip to knee is pressed into his, and she nods, acting like she's heard a word he's said.

Two weeks pass and he enters the station to find her chatting with Luke. His eyes narrow as he rounds the corner to hear Beca laugh a genuine laugh, and his stomach clenches.

When they come into view Beca has her back to Luke as she stretches to reach a high shelf, her shirt riding up in the process. He sees Luke check her out from behind, her oblivious to his gaze. She turns and sees him, finally.

"Hey," she smiles.

"You're late," Luke admonishes, shaking his head as he disappears back into the booth. Jesse grits his teeth as he tosses his bag onto a nearby chair and turns to the crate of albums waiting for him.

"Hey," she repeats from behind him somewhere, though he doesn't turn. "What, no hello?"

"I didn't want to interrupt anything," he says quietly, but she can hear the sarcasm in his voice.

"Jesse," she puts her hand on his arm, "What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on Beca," he retorts, "You really don't know?" When she doesn't reply he continues, "Look, I know you went out with him not that long ago. He likes you, Beca. He's always flirting and checking you out. Hell, he's always _asking _you out."

"And you're mad at me because some asshat likes me? What makes you think I care?" she snaps.

Her use of the word asshat almost breaks his resolve, but he looks away from her before answering, "Well, I don't know. Maybe it's the accent, or the tattoos, or the mutual love of DJ-ing, or the six-pack, or—"

He feels her lips on his, shutting him up. "You're an idiot," she laughs at him. "Seriously. Stop. Was I or was I not just hours ago in _your_ bed?"

"Or maybe you have a thing for hamburger addicts," he tries to continue and she smacks him.

They continue stacking CD's for another hour or so before the booth door opens and Luke emerges, eyes trained on Beca.

"Hey Beca?" Luke begins, "I'm gonna play a few more of your mixes tonight if you want to come by. You know, we can grab dinner or—"

"Actually," she interrupts him, "I have plans with my boyfriend."

"Oh, I didn't realize you were dating anyone," Luke replies as she moves around the room to stand beside Jesse.

Before he can react, she's kissing Jesse, hard, her tongue pushing urgently into his mouth. He reflexively picks her up off the floor since she's so damn tiny, and they both forget where they are for a moment.

"Well, aca-believe it!" she exclaims at Luke as they pull apart and Jesse lowers her to the ground, and they both dissolve into fits of laughter as Luke shakes his head and walks away, mumbling something about his desk rule again.

Two months later and it's summer time. She misses him like crazy. They text, and talk on the phone, and email, and video chat as often as possible, but it just isn't the same without him. It actually hurts. She dives back into her music as a distraction and takes a summer job at a radio station in the city, but it just isn't helping.

Her mother is out with some guy she has yet to meet, and she's alone in their condo. It's late when she finally hears the key slide into the lock and her mom enters, all dolled up in some fancy dress and heels.

"Oh honey!" she exclaims when she sees Beca waiting at the top of the stairs, "I just had the most wonderful night!"

Beca's not really in the mood to hear anything about romance now or like, ever, but her mom continues, "Robert proposed!"

"Who?" Beca asks.

"Robert, my man-friend," her mother clarifies, "You know, the one I've been seeing for a few months now?"

"Mom, you just started dating him," Beca tells her.

"Beca, honey, at my age, time is everything. And besides, I'm no spring chicken here, who's going to want someone my age with a college age daughter halfway out the door?"

"That's not a reason to marry someone," she counters.

"And what is? Love? Well I tried that already and look how well it turned out," her mother snaps, now agitated that her daughter can't share her joy like she'd hoped. "Oh, honey," her expression softens as Beca's face falls. "I didn't mean that. It's just that your father and I were so young when we met, we were in college. I should have known that relationships like that don't last forever."

_Relationships like that don't last forever._

Of course they don't, because nobody meets the love of their life at age 19, and ends up spending the rest of forever with that person. That would be ridiculous.

She doesn't answer any of Jesse's texts, calls, or attempts at video chat. She blocks him out for days. She doesn't speak to anyone. When she finally turns her cell phone back on there's a million messages and texts from him but one in particular catches her eye.

_I'm worried about you. Please Beca._

She dials his number then.

"Beca? Is that you? Are you ok? I've been so worried about you," his voice is frantic.

"I'm sorry," she manages.

"What is it? What happened?" he asks more gently.

"My mom is getting remarried," she begins, "To some guy she just met."

"Bec—" Jesse starts, but she cuts him off.

"It's not that I even care about her getting remarried, I'm used to parents doing things like that," she laughs bitterly, and then there's a long pause. "Jesse?" she asks softly.

"Yeah?"

"I miss you," she whispers before adding, "So much that it scares me."

"I miss you too," his relief is obvious even though she can't see him. "More than I can say with words."

She smiles into the phone before he adds, "Why does it scare you?"

"I don't know, we're just, so young, and so many things could change," she replies.

"I'm scared too," he admits, surprising her, "Of losing you. I don't think I could handle that again. I didn't do so well the first time, and I hadn't even really had you yet."

"I know, me too," she tells him, "You wanna know how sad I was then? I watched movies. Entire movies you mentioned you liked, just because they reminded me of you."

"Really?" and she can tell he's grinning now. "You know, just because we're young doesn't mean we can't really be in love, you know, forever."

"And you're basing this on what? Experience? Or your vast knowledge of all things cinematic?" she teases.

"Oh come on, there're lots of movies where young love works out! Like…Say Anything," he counters.

"Romeo and Juliet," she retorts, playing devil's advocate.

"Cocktail."

"West Side Story."

"Grease."

"Closer."

"Wait, you've seen Closer?" Jesse asks, stunned. "Even I haven't seen that yet."

"Don't," she tells him, "It's horribly depressing. But the ending song perfectly sums up the movie."

"Why Beca Mitchell, I do believe I'm having a positive influence on you," he teases her.

"Jesse," she's saying his name that way again, and he feels like he'd give anything to be with her, to just hold her.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you," her voice is barely above a whisper.

"For what?"

She pauses, because there're a million things she wants to thank him for at this moment. "Making me better," she finally says.

"I love you," he breathes.

"Ditto," she answers, and hears him laugh.

"Oh my God, you've watched Ghost too!" he exclaims happily, and now she's smiling again.

Two years after that first kiss and she's draped across his lap listening to her mixes while he toys absently with the ends of her hair. There's a ton of activity on the quad but Beca pays attention only to the beats in the music and the way her cheek feels pressed against his thigh. She begins running her hands lightly up and down his shins, causing him to try and wiggle away from her.

"Hey, that tickles!" he tells her and she pulls off her headphones to sit up and look at him.

"I hate summer," she says abruptly, staring absently across the campus. "Last year was awful, it seemed like forever. And now I'll have to go and stay with her and the new hubby. Ugh."

"What if you didn't' have to go home this summer? What if you could stay here?" he asks.

"Jesse, I need to find an internship again at a radio station if I want to DJ seriously. A paid internship, preferably."

"What if there's one here?" he replies cryptically.

"Jesse, what are you-?" she begins.

"Ok, so I might have talked to the new Luke and talked him into letting you run the place for the summer, you know, since he's graduating and has to take that job right away in fancy Atlanta," he admits.

"Oh my God, Jesse!" she practically squeals with delight as she launches herself at him, knocking him flat on his back as she collides with his chest.

"Will you do it?" he wonders.

"Yes! It's awesome, thank you so much!" she exclaims, pressing a quick kiss to his lips before pulling back to look at him. "But you still won't be here."

"Then who's going to stack CD's for you?" he replies evenly.

"Jesse! You can't stay here for me," she tells him. "Your parents will go crazy."

"We can go visit them on weekends," he explains, "Becs, seriously, there's no place I'd rather be than here with you."

And for once, she doesn't care that they're in public, or that there's a hundred students passing them by at this very moment as she kisses him breathless.


	3. Three

Three seconds into the kiss and Beca can feel the stares of everyone around them looking, but she doesn't care, because that look of adoration is back on Jesse's face and she's filled with hope for the first time in weeks.

Three minutes later she's clenching her hands in her lap, a ball of nervous energy as she attempts to pay attention to the performance on stage. She really just wants to be near him after all this time not speaking.

Three hours later and they're at the after party. The lights are dim in the room and the music is loud, and they try not to let on to the others that anything has changed between them, even though everything has. He's in a group of Trebles, listening to Benji talk with excitement about how amazing it was to finally perform with them. Jesse glances across the room looking for Beca. He spies her over by the side of the room, in line for a drink. By now the party has expanded to include many of the other students at the Finals. Jesse watches her as a guy steps in front of her and starts trying to talk to her.

Jesse has to laugh to himself as she appears totally bored by this stranger, not even bothering to look at him. Instead, her eyes scan the room until they meet his. And when she realizes he's already been staring at her, her responding smile is breathtaking.

Three days pass and he stomps into the radio station before throwing his bag down in disgust.

"Good morning, sunshine," she says as she approaches him, "What's eating you?"

"It's this damn art history class!" he grumbles in frustration, "The final is in parts and the first part is tomorrow. I have to memorize all these paintings, the artists, dates, titles, everything! I've been trying and it's just not sinking in!" he plops in a nearby chair and cradles his head in his hands.

"Want some help?" she asks, "Not that I'm any good at art history, but I could help you study."

He uncovers his face slightly, "No offense Beca, but you'd be more likely to distract me than help me, in a good way of course," he winks.

"Jesse, if you need help, I'll help you. What time is the test tomorrow?"

"Three," he replies, "Gah! I'm never going to learn this crap!"

"Yes you will," she assures him.

She shows up at his dorm room that evening, equipped with popcorn, snacks, sodas, and candy. "Ok nerd," she greets him as the door opens, "Let's get busy."

He opens his textbook to the first painting, which is Bridge over a Pond of Water Lillies by Claude Monet.

"So what you need is a mnemonic device. How are you going to remember this one?" When he shrugs she starts singing to the tune of Simon and Garfunkel's _Bridge over Troubled Water_, except she changes the lyrics to include all of the facts he needs to know about the painting. When he starts humming along with her, she reaches over to flip the page. "Next?" she taps the picture.

"Guernica by Pablo Picasso," he reads. She scans the page quickly and then makes some ridiculous rap about the famous work, complete with hand gestures, and continues until they're both laughing hysterically.

They spend all night studying, coming up with unique ways for him to remember each painting. Some they recall with songs or raps, some with straight memorization, and some they simply mock. As the sun begins to rise, they're both delirious, but he has the material down cold.

She's lying on his bed when she looks up at him and says, "Come here weirdo, you need sleep before your test," she yawns as she pats the space beside her. He climbs in and spoons her from behind.

"Thank you," he whispers into her hair before falling asleep instantly, exhausted.

He aces the test later, being able to recall with perfect clarity every moment he spent with her that night.

Three weeks after and she's racing across campus, cursing herself for being so late. She lost track of time while working on one of her mixes, and then rushed around her room, doing her hair, makeup, and dressing in a short jean skirt, boots that come up to her knees, leggings, and a low cut tank top. She throws on some jewelry and a light jacket, grabs her bag, and is out the door.

She steps into the off-campus club and sees her fellow Bellas across the room. "Did I miss anything?" she coughs, still trying to catch her breath.

"No," Fat Amy says, "They haven't even shown their ug-mo faces yet."

It's a fundraiser for the Trebles, so that they can still maintain and live in their house the following year. She breathes a sigh of relief, anxious to see Jesse and the others perform.

When their set finally starts, she takes a seat right in the front and center of the stage. They are amazing, as usual, and the Bellas notice how Beca's eyes never leave Jesse the entire time he's on stage. And when he sings he keeps his gaze trained on her, as if she's the only one watching him. The Bellas start teasing her and making catcalls from behind her, but she barely hears them. When the set finishes she realizes she's incredibly flushed and thirsty, so she stands from her seat to seek out a beverage after first removing her jacket. When she returns, Jesse is nowhere to be found. She frowns, biting her bottom lip thoughtfully as she spots him sitting at a nearby table with the Trebles while they high-five each other over their performance.

She walks over to him slowly, making sure to swing her hips as she does so. He doesn't notice her until she's at his table. She leans over the table, giving him and a few of the other Trebles an eyeful of cleavage as she says in a low voice, "Hey nerd." Benji, who is seated next to Jesse, nearly spits out his drink as she bites her bottom lip deliberately and reaches across the table for his loose fitting tie, which she twists around her wrist before tugging gently. "Nice job up there," she tells him.

Jesse swallows, hard, his eyes trailing up and down her body, "Like what you saw?" he manages.

She shrugs playfully, "Eh, maybe," as she takes the end of the straw in her drink in her mouth, sucking it lightly before adding, "But you know, there're a lot of other nerds in here I could go talk to." And with that, she turns on her heel to walk away.

Jesse, ignoring the whistles and comments of his buddies, is on his feet in three seconds flat, and she smiles as she feels him come up behind her, his hand on the small of her back. She turns and grabs his tie again, "Come with me," she grins wickedly, and he swears his heart stops for a moment.

She drags him into the narrow hallway that leads to the restroom and pushes him against the wall, pulling his head down to hers. Her hands are in his hair as she forcefully pushes her tongue into his mouth, her body flush against his. He's panting when she finally breaks away and with a mischievous grin tells him, "See you later, nerd," before turning and disappearing back into the room.

He runs after her, "Wait, what?" He reaches her and grabs her by the wrist, spinning her around to face him. "Beca, you can't just tease me and turn me on and leave me hanging here!"

"You did it first!" she retorts, and his trademark smug smile spreads slowly across his face as he takes in her meaning.

"Oh, so you _did_ like what you saw, then, huh?" he teases.

"Shut up, idiot," she says with clenched teeth, but her eyes are sparkling.

"Well you, my little vixen, are in serious trouble now," he replies, "And you're going to need to be punished." And with that, he scoops her up, throwing her unceremoniously over his shoulder while she fiddles with the hem of her short skirt so that she's not flashing the entire room.

"Jesse!" she yells, "Put me down!"

"I'll see you all later," he casually says to the rest of their friends as he reaches to pick up Beca's bag and jacket. He grins widely at everyone before turning to leave, with Beca punching and kicking him as he goes. He finally sets her down when they're about 100 yards away from the club.

"Jesse, what the—" she starts before his lips are on hers and his hands are everywhere. "You. Are. So. Damn. Sexy," he says, a kiss punctuating each word.

"You're not so bad yourself there, mister," she replies, breathless, before taking hold of his tie again and leading him in the direction of his dorm room, knowing full well that Benji will be out for a while.

Clothes are shed before the door even clicks shut, and that night, all traces of his sweet, vulnerable Beca are gone as she takes control, tackling him with renewed fervor. And he's never been more turned on in his life.

"Remind me to sing to you more often," he says as they collapse in a tangled heap of limbs and sweat.

"Yes, definitely," she smiles into his neck before kissing the spot she knows he loves so much. And before he can even process what's happening, she's climbing back on top of him for round two.

Three months later and it's the godforsaken summer, the summer that seems to stretch on endlessly for both of them. It's early afternoon when she sees her cellphone light up with an incoming call.

"You're not working today?" she says when she answers.

"Nope, you?" he asks.

"No, and mom is out with her new fiancé, so I've got the house to myself," she smiles into the phone, just glad to hear his voice.

"Same," he says, before catching her up on what's been going on with him. They talk for hours, and eventually his cellphone battery begins to die and he ends up laying on the carpeted floor by the outlet so that he can charge it while still talking to her.

"Hey Becs?" he asks her, "You know our phone bills are going to be huge, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't care," she says. "If I did, I wouldn't be sitting on the cold tile floor leaning up against the wall waiting for my dumb phone to recharge."

They talk about anything and everything, laughing when they hear the other chewing or the sound of a toilet flushing with explanations like, "Well we've been talking for hours, what was I supposed to do, hold it?"

And a retort of, "You could just not flush it, idiot."

And when it's late at night, she's curled up in her bed and he in his. "Goodnight weirdo, I love you."

"I love you too," and it's almost as if they've spent the day together, almost.

Three years pass and they're officially graduating college. The now combined Bellas and Treblemakers have just won the ICCA's. Life is perfect. Except for one thing, it isn't.

She has gotten an amazingly perfect job working as an intern with a famous music producer in LA. He has an equally amazing opportunity to work for a production company in NYC where he can finally get his big break in composing movie scores like he'd always dreamed. The problem? They will be on opposite sides of the country.

She's stubbornly refused to speak to him about this, instead going about like nothing is ever going to change, but she's more clingy than usual, and he swears sometimes that's she's trying to cover up the fact that she's been crying. To his face she puts on a smile and encourages him to follow his dream even though he's not sure what that is anymore.

"We need to see what living apart is like," she says out of nowhere as they're packing up her room for LA.

"Why?" he says.

"Because, we're adults now. We're not going to be living in this little bubble called Barden University anymore. We're going to be adults with jobs and responsibilities and we can't rely on each other for everything anymore. We need to have a go at life alone."

"Seriously? Did you get this from your mother?" he replies. "Because if we're better together, then why do we need to be apart?"

"Because Jesse, if you don't go to New York and take that job, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. And you'll resent me in the end. I couldn't bear that. So I need you to try, at least give it a shot for a while before you decide. It'll be like my freshman year here at Barden, and see how great that turned out?"

Both of their hearts constrict at the thought of being apart, and neither one allows themselves to admit that this is a break up.

"Look, I'm not putting a period at the end of our relationship. It's more like an ellipsis," she clarifies.

"Ok Zach Braff from Garden State," he quips, but neither of them smile.

This of course, does not stop him from doing overly cheesy things like serenading her on their last night together with Maroon 5's _Daylight_ which even she had to admit was romantic. She wills herself not to cry as he kisses her goodbye and holds her for the longest time before lifting the last of his bags and driving away. But as soon as he's out of sight she breaks down sobbing, because it feels as though a piece of her left in that car, and she knows that it's going to take a long time, if not forever, to feel whole again without him.

And so they go their separate ways, and the jobs are great, they really are. Jesse is staying in a hotel until he can find a place. Beca's dad helps her get a small apartment near where she is working. They settle into their routines. At first, there is constant texting and daily phone calls, but as things happen, life happens, these become less frequent. One night Jesse is sitting alone in his hotel room unable to sleep when he flips on the TV and scrolls through the pay-per-view movies that are available. The movie Closer pops up and he realizes he's still never seen it. _It's probably the only movie Beca has seen that I haven't_, he muses with a heavy sigh.

She's right, it's horribly depressing. But then the final scene begins, the music swells, and he finds himself getting lost in the lyrics and haunting melody.

_And so it is  
Just like you said it would be  
Life goes easy on me  
Most of the time_

And he pictures Beca, telling him his family is perfect after she meets them for the first time. He's always known that he's lucky to have such supportive, loving parents, but somehow she makes him appreciate all the more.

_And so it is  
The shorter story  
No love, no glory  
No hero in her skies_

Beca, yelling at him "You're not my boyfriend!" Him closing the door on what he thought was the official end of their relationship at that point.

I can't take my eyes off you

As he sings to her from the car on their first day on campus.

_I can't take my eyes off you_

As she performs with a plastic cup at her Bellas audition.

_I can't take my eyes off you_

As her face lights up when she gets one of her mixes just right, and scans his face for approval as he listens to it for the first time.

_I can't take my eyes off you_

When she raps to him at their first riff-off, and blows him away yet again.

_I can't take my eyes off you_

The way she looks in the pale glow of her dorm room as he pushes into her for the first time and his name falls from her lips like a melody.

_I can't take my eyes..._

When he realizes that she's singing Simple Minds to him, in front of everyone to see. That she's saying that she wants him too.

_And so it is  
Just like you said it should be  
We'll both forget the breeze  
Most of the time_

Beca, bidding him farewell as he inhales the scent of her hair, trying to commit everything about her to memory.

_And so it is  
The colder water  
The blower's daughter  
The pupil in denial_

Beca, pushing him away their freshman year, trying to act as if she didn't return his feelings when he knew in his heart that she did.

_I can't take my eyes off you_

The way her lips felt for the first time, moving against his, and he thought for a fleeting moment that he never wanted to kiss anyone else for as long as he lived.

_I can't take my eyes off you_

How she doesn't seem to notice that she attracts attention everywhere she goes, when all she's trying to do is be herself.

_I can't take my eyes off you_

Beca singing…because behind that dark makeup and scary ear spike is this beautiful, innocent, pure voice. She really doesn't know how good she is.

_I can't take my eyes off you_

Her smile, when he feels like he earns one from her, his heart always skips a beat.

_I can't take my eyes off you_

The way that she looks at him when he sings, this look that is always a mixture of pride, attraction, and love. The way that she always ends up watching him more than the movies he's trying to show her.

_I can't take my eyes..._

How she looks first thing in the morning, her mussed and matted hair framing her makeup-free face, and she never looks more beautiful to him.

_Did I say that I loathe you?  
Did I say that I want to  
Leave it all behind?_

No, this was an ellipsis. She doesn't hate him, she loves him. She said they needed time apart to see if being together was what they really wanted.

I can't take my mind off you

She's in every aspect of his life, and she isn't even physically present. Every single piece of clothing he owns reminds him somehow of her. Every song he hears, every smell, every taste, it's all her.

_I can't take my mind off you_

They fit perfectly together in every way. Her tiny hand in his, her sleeping form curved into his side, her nestled into his lap with her head on his chest as they watch movies, her hips lifting up to meet his every thrust.

_I can't take my mind off you_

Her skin, the way he's memorized every freckle, every line, every tattoo. The way he loves to run his fingers through her hair. The way she sometimes seems to glow when she's happy.

_I can't take my mind off you_

How she's so fantastically talented that he's in constant awe of her. She has this natural way with music, she understands it with such passion and conviction, and it's inspiring just being around her.

_I can't take my mind off you_

The way she loves him so fiercely and knows him better than anyone. How they were best friends first and then became lovers.

_I can't take my mind..._

How he feels every time she touches him, even the smallest brush of her fingertips somehow makes everything in his world ok again.

_My mind...my mind..._

Beca, Beca, Beca…

_'Til I find somebody new _

Him, kissing someone else. Beca, in the arms of another man. Wait, what? Jesse's vision snaps back into focus as the credits begin to roll. No. Everything about picturing it feels wrong. Even imagining her with someone else made him feel physically ill. What the hell kind of a way to end a movie song is this?

Beca walks through the music studio, cleaning up before she closes up for the night. The only person left is Chad, a newbie just like her. "Hey, Becs?" she hears Chad say.

She cringes at the nickname, which doesn't go unnoticed by him, "Yeah?" she replies.

"I'm heading over to a club later on, and I was thinking maybe you'd like to come with?" he asks hesitantly.

"Sorry, I'm really tired. I'm just going to be heading home but thanks," she manages, as she turns to leave. She knows Chad likes her, he's made it very clear with his attempts to flirt and touch her 'accidentally'. And she feels nothing. In fact, she's felt nothing since she got here. She's old Beca again, the one who isolated herself from others and was angry and bitter. She doesn't answer her parents' phone calls. She doesn't reply to her friends' texts. She buries herself in music once more.

She opens the door to her apartment and the stereo flicks on as if on cue. Simple Minds starts playing -their song, of all songs. She's just not in the mood for this. "What the—" she says aloud as she turns on the light.

And there he is, sprawled out across her sofa as if he lives there. "What, you don't like our song anymore?" he questions.

"Oh my God, Jesse!" she runs towards him, "What are you doing here, how—"

And his lips are on hers, and she's wrapping her legs around his waist because it's been so long since she felt him. He feels her tears begin to fall and he sits them down on the sofa, her legs still wrapped firmly around him.

"So I went, I tried it," he begins, "And it sucked. And now I know for sure, I don't want to do anything unless you're a part of it."

Her hands are in his hair when she says, "I am an idiot. I thought we needed this."

"We did," he grins, "And now you know you're stuck with me."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," she answers as he's picking her up and carrying her to her bedroom.

"You have a habit of making yourself at home, did you know that?" she smirks into his ear. He grins into their kiss before pressing her into the mattress, his body covering hers.

They make love slowly, savoring every kiss, every touch, and when he fills her completely he whispers into the darkness, "That's because my home is wherever you are."

**A/N:** The song referenced is Damien Rice's _The Blower's Daughter_. Unusual title, I know, but it's actually about a time when the singer, working as a telemarketer (blower is slang for telephone) meets a mysterious woman over the phone and falls in love with her just from hearing her voice. It's lovely and moving and deserves a listen. Thanks for reading! Please let me know if you'd like me to continue and/or if you have anything you want me to include.


	4. Four

Four seconds into the kiss and his mind is reeling. Because here she is, the girl he's wanted for months, with her lips pressed firmly against his in a kiss she initiated. And he never wants it to end.

Four minutes later and he finally resists the urge to turn around and glance at her, and she's staring right back at him. He winks, causing a slow blush to creep across her face, and she's gorgeous to him.

Four hours later and they're dancing together, her head on his chest as they sway slowly to the music. He's aware that their friends are all gossiping about what this means, but he doesn't care. Beca sighs and pulls his head down to whisper in his ear, "You know we could really make a show of this for them if you want." He chuckles into her hair, tracing small circles on her hipbones as he wonders how he was so lucky to have found her.

Four days pass and he's relieved to have completed the dreaded art history final. He's trying to think of a way he could ever thank her for her help when he spots her walking across the quad, a huge pile of books in her arms with a coffee cup balanced precariously on top. He knows it spells disaster, and begins making his way over to her when the entire stack topples, her books flying everywhere and hot coffee pouring down the front of her shirt.

"Shit!" she exclaims loudly, and he notices that every male in her vicinity, most of whom had already checked her out as she passed by wearing skinny jeans and a white cap sleeved top which showed off her cleavage nicely, runs to her aid. One guy in particular hands her a napkin and stays to help her pick up her books while she tries to pat herself dry. Jesse observes the guy licks his lips as Beca trails the napkin in between her cleavage, trying to dry the offending coffee.

Jesse scowls at him as he reaches the pair, "Are you ok Becs? Did you burn yourself?"

"No, I just look like a colossal ass," she shakes her head in embarrassment. Then she looks down over herself, noticing that the spilled coffee has made her white shirt see-through, and her black bra is clearly visible. "Oh my God!" she says in horror as she tries to cover herself.

"I got this, dude," Jesse tells the all-too helpful guy as he bends with his back to Beca. "Hop on," he tells her. She jumps on his back, burrowing her chest into him to cover herself while he gathers the books from the guy. And he carries her, piggy back all the way back to her room. When he finally sets her down, it's hard for him to keep his eyes trained on her face, because she looks so damn sexy. He averts his eyes as she disappears into her closet in search of a new top.

When she's decent, she moves to stand in front of him. "Thank you, my knight in shining armor," she whispers, pulling his head down for a searing kiss. He smells like coffee for the rest of the day, but he doesn't care.

Four weeks later and she never ceases to surprise him. She's just confessed to loving him, and they've broken Luke's desk rule that afternoon. She's sitting in his lap at the Treble house while they and the Bellas play a new game that Benji found, called Spontuneous. One team gives a word and the other has to come up with a song with that word in it, and back and forth until no one can think of any more songs. They've divided into pairs for this game, leaving Beca and Jesse on the same team for once.

They're having a great time, singing and laughing, and together they're crushing the competition. Their game marker is far ahead on the treble-clef shaped board when another team shouts out the new keyword, "Weakness!"

There's silence for a moment before Beca jumps up and starts singing.

_Here I go, here I go, here I go again_

_Girls what's my weakness? Men!_

_Ok then, chillin' chilin' mindin' my business…_

And she continues to rap out the entirety of Salt N Pepa's _Shoop,_ with Jesse even jumping up to do the guy's part. She looks so adorable and sexy when she raps, and no one challenges them. As Beca bends over the board, moving their game piece to the finish, he swallows hard before standing abruptly.

"Ok, looks like we crushed you losers," he jokes before grabbing Beca by the hand and pulling her towards the door, "We'll see you all later."

"Someone's about to get Treble-boned!" he hears Fat Amy yell as the door to the house slams shut and he presses her against it, kissing her.

"Do you have any idea what you do to me?" he groans heatedly in her ear.

"I'm getting an idea," she quips, pushing her pelvis into his already obvious arousal. He moans, and she licks her lips before pulling him by the hand. "Come on, stud."

He's already reaching up her shirt, unhooking her bra as his dorm room door slams shut behind them. His hands are cupping her breasts as she pulls her top off in one fluid motion. All night he's watched her sing and bite her lip and sway her hips. And he's not blind, he knows the other guys noticed too. Beca may be oblivious to how unbelievably sexy she is, but no one else is. He nibbles her earlobe before placing his knees on either side of her hips on the bed. He removes her jeans and underwear quickly, and she's tugging at his belt, trying to feel him through his jeans. He practically growls at her before standing to remove the rest of his clothing, discarding it on the floor.

She's completely naked, and breathing heavily when he lowers himself over her, hitching one of her legs behind him as he grinds into her. "Jesse," she purrs into his ear, and suddenly he's kissing her everywhere. She's desperate for him when he finally pulls away, his eyes boring into hers.

"Tell me what you want," he says softly, pinning her body with his so that she can't move.

"I want you," she says shyly, trying to look away from his intense gaze.

"Where?" he asks, turning her head so that she has to look at him, and she swears she's going to explode with desire for him.

There's a long pause, "Jesse, please," she whimpers, trying to push herself against him, but he resists.

"Tell me," he says again, his voice low and sultry.

"I want you inside me," she whispers, and he thrusts into her, filling her completely. And as the waves of pleasure wash over her, she secretly thanks Benji for buying that stupid game.

Four months later and she's pacing around her father's kitchen.

"Dad, can we just go already?" she snaps.

"What's the big rush? You know, for someone who had to be practically dragged to college last year, you're sure anxious to get back. Any reason in particular?" he smiles at his daughter.

"No," she replies, "I just missed my friends is all. And mom's been obsessed with the wedding all summer, I just want to get back to the radio station and singing with the Bellas again."

"And this has nothing to do with a certain young man by the name of Jesse?" he father prods.

"No!" Beca exclaims rolling her eyes while she practically drags him out of the house.

He drives her to campus and helps her unload her stuff into her new, single dorm room. "Thanks, dad," she gives him a small hug as he turns to go, "You know for the room and stuff. This is so much better than living with a selective mute," she jokes.

Once her father is out of sight, she's out the door and on her way to the activities fair, where she knows Jesse and the rest of the Treblemakers are putting on a performance to attract new members. She hasn't seen him in three long months, and when she finally spies him setting up for the performance on the steps of one of the academic buildings, she breaks into a full sprint.

He sees her just before the impact of her small frame hits him as she launches herself into his arms, kissing him senseless. She's just short of wrapping her legs around his waist when she hears the sound of Benji nervously clearing his throat and reluctantly breaks the kiss. He lowers her to the ground but doesn't let go of her, and she reaches around his waist, holding his body against hers.

"Miss me?" she asks him.

"God, yes," he replies, "But sadly right now, I must put on a show for these people," he gestures dramatically to the throngs of students milling around the campus. "Stay and watch?" he adds.

"Wouldn't miss it," she gives him a final squeeze as he turns to go. "Fat Amy and Cynthia Rose are manning the Bellas booth, what could possibly go wrong?"

He laughs as he walks up the steps to begin the performance. They start with some of their favorites from last year, and a small crowd begins to gather around Beca as she stands there watching. They throw in a few new ones too, like Cake's _Love You Madly_, and Michael Jackson's _The Way You Make Me Feel_, but it's when Jesse takes the lead in Bruno Mars' _Locked out of Heaven_ that she knows he's arranged this set for her. She's practically on fire when he sings the lyrics "Your sex takes me to paradise" over and over again, all the while pointing and staring directly at her. She knows she's blushing, feeling the blood rush to her face as the song finishes, when she feels a tap on her shoulder.

"Dad?" she croaks, "How long have you been here?"

"Long enough to see that boy practically undress you with his eyes in front of everyone!" And of course, the music ends just as her dad says the latter part of his statement, and the whole crowd, including Jesse, turns to look at her.

Beca's eyes narrow in anger, and she turns away from everyone, shoving her way through the crowd.

"Beca!" she hears both her father and Jesse say, but she's already halfway back to her room by now, and she's not stopping for anyone. She just wants to crawl into a hole somewhere and die. She throws herself on the still unmade bed.

"Beca, open the door!" her father says, pounding loudly, "If you don't I'll say what I have to say to you from the hallway."

And with that, she opens the door and steps aside, letting him in. He enters, leaving the door cracked open behind him. Jesse, having followed them, rounds the corner just in time to hear her father speak.

"Beca, I have the right to be concerned! You're my daughter and I don't like seeing some guy treat you like you're an object to him. You deserve better than that! I didn't raise you to—"

"You didn't raise me at all!" she says angrily.

"Becs, please," his tone softens a little, "You're my little girl, and I just want to protect you."

"Maybe you should have thought of that nine years ago," she's seething now. "And for your information, Jesse isn't just 'some guy'. He's my boyfriend _and_ my best friend. He's amazing, and he loves me. Please just drop this and leave me alone."

Her father sighs, heavily, "And you love him?"

"Yes," she answers, her voice much calmer now, "And seriously dad, they don't make guys better than Jesse. You have nothing to worry about. Now please just go, I need to finish unpacking."

Before Jesse can react, Dr. Mitchell steps into the hallway and sees him standing there.

"Don't hurt her," he says, clapping his hand on Jesse's shoulder. "Because you'll never forgive yourself if you do." And with that, he turns to go.

"I won't, Dr. Mitchell," Jesse calls after his retreating form, before he knocks softly on Beca's door.

"Beca?" he finds her sitting on the bed, crying. Her hands are covering her face.

He moves to sit beside her. "Hey Beca, please look at me." And when she does, it breaks his heart. "I'm so, so sorry," he whispers into her hair.

"Why?" she sniffs, "You didn't do anything." She rubs her cheeks, trying to clear away her tears. "God, is it possible to die of humiliation twice in one day?"

"Hey, hey," he threads his fingers through her hair gently, "It's just me here. Besides, I'm the one that just thrust his junk all over the place in front of his girlfriend's father. The afternoon didn't exactly end up as I planned."

She suppresses a laugh, "And what exactly did you have planned?"

"Oh, you know," he smiles, pressing a kiss to her neck, "I'd sing, you'd get all hot and bothered, and we'd have amazingly hot I've-been-missing-you-for-months sex on this very bed all night long."

"All night, huh?" she teases, "That was very ambitious of you."

"I thought so," he pulls her to him so that her head is resting on his chest. "You know I heard everything," he tells her. "I'm amazing, am I?"

"Don't push it," she warns, but she's smiling now.

"I love you," they say simultaneously, and before he can kiss her she jumps up, making sure the door is closed and locked before walking back over to him. She climbs onto his lap, straddling him as she moves to kiss him. They put all of their heartache, longing, and love into that kiss, and she's clinging to him desperately.

Neither one of them notice that the bed still isn't made and that her things are strewn all over the room as they carry out every aspect of Jesse's original plan.

Four years later and they're curled up in their recently moved into small house in the suburbs of Los Angeles, watching The Last Kiss on cable. The movie plot is slow, and she finds herself tuning in and out until the final scene where Coldplay's _A Warning Sign_ begins to play. And suddenly, she's crying.

"What is it?" he asks, a look of concern on his face.

"Are we happy?" she blurts.

"What do you mean, of course we are," he tells her.

"No, I mean are _you_ happy?" she clarifies.

"Beca, where is this—"

She cuts him off, "Look, I know you don't like your job. And you moved here because of me. And now I just get this sense that you're unhappy. I know you love me but—"

"But what?" he interrupts, "You wanted the house, we got it. You wanted a new car, we bought one. You wanted to be a DJ, and you are one. What more do you want?"

"I want you to be happy," she sighs.

"Well you know something? It isn't that easy, ok," there's hint of anger in his voice now.

"I'm not saying it is, Jesse. I never wanted you to give up your dreams for me. I don't want any of these things if you're not happy. We can sell the house and the car. We can live in a box for all I care. I just want you to be happy."

"I can't believe I'm working in a fucking cubicle!" he erupts, his temper flaring. And she knows he's angry because he rarely curses. "Do you know what that's like? To go to work every day and be surrounded by people with the creativity of a walnut and for what? To pay the bills? God, Beca. I never wanted to be like this. I swore I wouldn't end up like this. Some yuppie idiot with a house in the suburbs."

"Like what, like us?"

"Normal," he replies, "Boring."

"You think our life together is boring?" and she tries to hold her tears back, but by this point they're flowing freely down her cheeks.

"This isn't about you!" he snaps.

"How can it not be? In case you haven't noticed, we're an us. What affects you affects me too. How can you stand there and say you're unhappy and bored and expect me not to be hurt!"

"Oh great, now my unhappiness is about you too. Great, that's just great. Way to make me feel guilty," he's pacing around the room, not looking at her.

"That's not fair," she says quietly.

"What do you know about what's fair? You're doing what you love. You've made something of yourself! Hell, this goddamn house is even in your name because you make more money than me."

"What is this, 1952? Who gives a shit about who makes more money? I don't care about the money, Jesse!"

"That's not what you were saying when you wanted the car with the fancy stereo upgrade," he grits out.

"You know what, if you're so miserable, why don't you just leave?" her tears have turned to anger.

"And go where? Back to New York? I'm pretty sure that ship has sailed long ago for me," his voice is dripping with disdain.

"Fuck you," she tells him, "How dare you." And before he can say another word, she's grabbed the keys to the new car and is out the door.

Jesse grabs a pillow from the couch and throws it hard, letting it smack against the wall with a dull thud. It's now around midnight and he wonders where she could have gone. He assumes that she'll be back any time. But hours pass, and still no Beca.

He falls asleep, still angry and wakes on the sofa. Rubbing his eyes, he pads into the kitchen but this morning there's no music playing, no coffee brewing, and no breakfast cooking. He checks his phone but there are no messages. Whatever, he thinks, and he begins the process of getting ready for work.

The morning at work passes by agonizingly slow, and at lunch time he is relieved to be in his car in search of lunch. The car stereo flicks on, and he catches Beca's voice just as she cuts to a commercial break. Out of habit and curiosity, he listens to the commercials, waiting to see what song she'll play next. He can tell Beca's mood by whatever she chooses in the playlist during her shift. It's a pop station, so she can't play her mixes, but she's still doing what she always wanted to do.

Today she plays Cake's _I Will Survive_, La Roux's _Bulletproof_, David Guetta's _Titanium_, Kanye West's _Golddigger_, Green Day's _American Idiot_, and Alanis Morisette's _You Oughta Know_.

The next day he hears One Republic's _Apologize_, The Script's _Breakeven_, and Lifehouse's _Broken_.

On the third day it's Coldplay's _The Scientist_, Radiohead's _Creep_, and finally Counting Crows' _Colorblind_ followed by the Verve's _Bittersweet Symphony_.

_No. _She knows he's listening. She has to know. Back in college they had watched Cruel Intentions together during one of their many movication nights, and she had commented that the music at the ending was one of her favorite scenes in any film. And he knows she only listens to _Colorblind _when she's sad. Really sad. This is a message to him.

He pulls his car over to the side of the road, trying to figure out how he's going to respond. He knows he was a total asshole. He's frustrated. Of course it has nothing to do with her, in fact, she's the one who's been supporting him and believing in him all along. He knows he's fucked up royally.

He calls the request line for her station, and when she answers he says, "I'd like to request When in Rome's _The Promise_.

He knows she recognizes his voice, but she answers in a clipped tone, "Sure thing, it'll be on next," before hanging up.

_Come on, Beca_, he thinks as the song starts to play. And he texts her the entire song's lyrics as it plays. Followed by a final text that reads:

_Sorry I was a complete asshole. I love you. I promise you. Please come home to me._

The meaning isn't lost on her. Only a month previously they had watched Napoleon Dynamite, and she struggled to stay awake. When Napoleon started dancing to Jamiroquai, he stood, imitating the dance moves until she laughed so hard she cried, and they ended up making love on the floor in front of the television as the final song, this song, had played. And as the final notes had played she told him the line "_And if you wait around a while I'll make you fall for me I promise you I promise you I will_" reminded her of how she pursued him all freshman year.

"Oh," he'd teased her, "I had to make you fall for me? I thought you couldn't resist me. You know I'm the perfect combination of sexy and cute."

"Ok Steve Carell in Crazy, Stupid Love," she'd joked back.

Damn him.

That night when he returns home from work, she's sitting there on their sofa.

"I'm sorry," he says before he's even shut the door behind him. "I am such an ass, I'm just so frustrated at work lately. It's not your fault. You make me so happy and I love you so much," but he's silenced by her index finger pressed firmly to his lips.

"Shut up, nerd," she says, handing him a sheet of paper.

"What's this?" he asks, opening it. He scans it, "Beca, wait, how did you-?"

"I have connections now," she explains, "And the morning talk show at the station had a guest on yesterday who's some famous movie big wig, so I talked to him and told him about you. I gave him some of your music. He liked it so much he said he wants to meet you on Monday for lunch. That's his cell number."

Jesse's jaw drops, "So let me get this straight. I was a complete dick to you, and you go and get me the most amazing opportunity I've ever had. Oh my God, Beca, I don't know how to thank you."

"Well for starters you can get over here," she opens her arms for him, and he's picking her up, twirling her around before kissing her forcefully.

"I love you," he tells her, scooping her up bridal style before climbing the stairs to their bedroom.

"I know," she says. They don't like fighting, but they both know that it's a normal part of being in a relationship.

Besides, the make-up sex is always mind-blowing.


	5. Five

Five seconds into the kiss and she's acutely aware of everything that is Jesse. His familiar scent, the feel of his skin as she absently traces the back of his neck with her thumb, and she knows she'll always remember every detail of this moment.

Five minutes pass and she leans forward in her seat a row behind him to whisper in his ear, "You were amazing up there, by the way," and now it's his turn to blush.

Five hours later and she's in her hotel room bed alone, staring up at the ceiling. She needs to be asleep because their flight leaves early the next morning and she doesn't want to be exhausted. She tries everything; even resorting to counting sheep, but still feels just as wide awake as she did when she first got into bed. And for some reason, she just can't stop smiling.

Down the hallway, he also can't sleep. It isn't because Benji is lightly snoring across the room, though it isn't helping. He knows it's because of her. And although he's spent many previous nights lying awake thinking about her, it's different now.

She shifts for what seems like the hundredth time, trying to find a comfortable position before sitting up abruptly. "This is ridiculous!" she says loudly to no one, and before she can overthink it she's tiptoeing down the hallway to his room.

"I couldn't sleep," she says as he opens the door.

"Me neither," he says softly before taking her hand and leading her to his bed. She curls into his body, resting her head on his chest and she can hear the sound of his heart pounding rapidly.

She sighs, finally comfortable, "Much better," she tells him as she lightly skims the plane of his chest with her fingertips, stopping to grip the hem of his t-shirt before falling into a dreamless sleep.

Five days after she's sitting in the booth at the radio station, doing one of her late night shifts. She's yawning, rubbing her eyes in a weak attempt to stay awake when she is startled by a soft knock on the window.

"What's up weirdo?" he greets, handing her a cup of coffee and a candy bar before pulling up a chair beside her.

"What are you doing here?" she asks him, "You're going to be exhausted tomorrow."

"So will you," he replies, matter-of-factly.

"Yeah but now we'll _both_ be tired, when only_ one_ of us had to be tired," she yawns.

"I couldn't sleep anyway," he tells her before scanning over the playlist she's assembled. "Great selections, by the way."

"Thanks," she says, before pretending to collapse on the desk. She's just so tired.

"Hey," he says, rubbing her back and shoulders, "Come on, only one hour to go. You can do it."

And she does, but only because he won't stop talking. He babbles on about movie trivia and stories about the Trebles until she's laughing so hard she's crying. When it's time to leave, he walks her back to the dorms.

"I don't like the idea of you walking out here alone so late at night," he admits.

"I have my official BU rape whistle, you know," she jokes.

"Seriously," he tells her, "I know you're this tiny badass, but it's just that you're so _little_." And with that, he picks her up and starts carrying her across campus.

"Jesse! Put me down!" she hisses.

"On one condition," he replies, and she nods helplessly, still draped over him, "That you promise to call me when you're working late so that I can walk you home. I don't care what time it is."

"Fine, I'll do that, but on one condition," she counters.

"And what is that?" he's smiling now.

"That when you do put me down, it's in your bed," she whispers in his ear, and he stops walking for a moment.

"Deal," he says, carrying her all the way to his room and dropping her on his bed. She kicks off her boots as he climbs in next to her, and she wraps her body around his.

"Jesse?" she says into the darkness.

"Hmm?" he mumbles sleepily.

"Thank you," she sighs, and falls fast asleep.

Five weeks pass and it's the first week of summer break. They're attempting their first video chat one evening when he suggests that they watch a movie together.

"And how are we going to do that?" she asks, laughing at him. They try loading up the movie on his laptop and holding his iPhone up so that she can see it.

"Dude, stop shaking, I can barely see what's going on."

She tries downloading the movie and then hitting play at exactly the same time as him, but with slight delays and constant internet failures, this isn't working either.

"Why don't we just find something on cable and watch it together?" she suggests.

They finally select Father of the Bride, which is playing on a basic cable channel. "Ugh, this has commercials!" he whines as the first series of ads begins to play, "And it's edited and formatted to fit my screen and run in the time allotted."

She rolls her eyes, "You're such a nerd," she teases him, "I mean, who's going to notice."

"Umm, me," he grins, before turning his attention back to the movie. But as it turns out, the commercial breaks allow them to chat about the movie in progress.

"Do you think you'd flip out like this if your daughter was getting married," she asks at one point.

"It depends," he admits, "On if the guy she's marrying is as suave, handsome, and charming as I am."

"Don't forget modest," she laughs.

"Do you think your dad will go nuts when you get married?" he wonders.

"Um, probably not since I'm never getting married," she answers.

"What? Never? Not even if the perfect guy comes along and sweeps you off your feet?"

"_If _that happens," she smiles, knowing she's toying with him, "I don't see why I'd need a piece of paper to prove anything."

"You'd wouldn't," he agrees, "But don't you think it's nice to promise to love someone forever in front of everyone you know? To vow to share your lives, both the ups and the downs, as long as you both shall live? That you're going to put love first, no matter what?"

"Yes, it is nice," she nods, "Even if over half the time it ends up not being true."

"You don't think it's possible for two people to fall in love and stay in love forever?"

"Possible, but not likely," she clarifies, "I mean, I think falling in love just happens naturally, but after that you have to work at the relationship. You can't just sit back and expect that love to keep on going alone, or even that it will be enough. It's like a plant, you have to keep watering it to keep it alive."

"Beca Mitchell, I think you were paying attention in that philosophy class last year," he mocks.

"Shut up," she tells him, as they both return their attention to the movie.

Five months later and they're walking back to his dorm room after working a shift at the radio station together. "Beca?" they hear a voice calling her and turn to see none other than Dr. Mitchell.

"Yeah dad?" she replies.

"I was just wondering if you two would like to come by the house for a visit. Sheila's been asking to officially meet Jesse and she won't stop nagging me about it."

"No," she tells him abruptly.

"Becs, just please consider it ok? Let me know?" and he gives Jesse a small nod before turning to leave.

They walk in relative silence until they reach the Treble house. He begins tentatively, "You know, maybe you should reconsider."

"Reconsider what?" she snaps.

"It's just dinner, one night. It won't be that bad," he encourages.

"You can't—you don't know," she says.

"How can I when you won't let me be around your family? Why is that?" he wonders.

She's folding her arms across herself, a sign that she's on the defense, "I didn't nickname her the step-monster for no reason, Jesse."

"But she's still part of your life, just like your dad is. You can't keep shutting everyone out, Beca," he's pushing her and he knows it.

"You don't understand!" she's near yelling now.

"I understand that you're still holding onto your anger, you need to let it go, move on," he's trying to stay calm.

"Thanks, Dr. Phil," she says sarcastically.

"We need to get past this," he repeats.

"We? Funny, I don't remember you being there at age 10 sitting on the porch steps all night waiting for daddy to come home. Or realizing that your father who said he loved you over and over again would rather be with some young piece of ass than his only child. Or trying to comfort your broken shell of a mother when you're just a kid yourself. Or questioning for the rest of your life whether people really mean what they say, or if they're just going to turn around and leave you with nothing," she's holding back tears now, her eyes glistening.

"But Beca, I can help fix you—" he starts.

"Fix me? You can't just push and make this ok, Jesse. It's not one of your movies where the plot resolves in three hours or less. This is my life! My crazy, fucked up life! And I'm not dragging you further into it!"

"Beca—"

"No!" and she turns and runs out of the room. He's learned by now there's no sense chasing her. She needs time to calm down, and honestly, he does too.

The next day the Bellas notice that Beca isn't herself when they're hanging out together, and the Trebles notice that Jesse is in a foul mood too. So it's no surprise to Benji when Fat Amy shows up at the Treble house and proclaims, "We need to get Shawshank and Lover Boy back together before she gouges herself again with another one of those scary ear spikes!" Benji couldn't agree more.

On Friday night Beca arrives at the amphitheater where Aca-Initiation night is always held, expecting to meet the Bellas before heading out dancing at a club. Jesse arrives at the same time, thinking he's going out for a night of mischief with the Trebles. And both get swept away by their friends as they walk the half mile to the club, still not speaking to each other.

As soon as Beca enters the club she sees a large sign reading "Karaoke Night". "No!" she tells Fat Amy, and moves to leave but the girls block her exit. And worst of all, it's random and spontaneous, as the MC for the night announces that it's time for "Hat Hour" which means all of their names will be thrown into a hat and drawn. Then, whoever is chosen must sing the song that the computer picks, regardless of what it is.

She reluctantly sits, considering she has no choice in the matter. It's sort of fun, she has to admit, as her friends are chosen and go up to perform, and she's actually laughing and beginning to enjoy herself when she hears her name called.

"Dude, no!" she hisses at Fat Amy, who just shrugs innocently and points to the stage.

Beca shakes her head, and goes to meet her fate. The computer chooses _Just Give Me a Reason_ by Pink and Nate Ruess.

"A duet!" the MC booms over the microphone, we'll need a man to help this little lady. And of course, the name he calls out is Jesse's.

She starts singing, at first trying to detach herself from the moment, but then realizes that this song really is fuckin' perfect. _Thanks a lot, Pink_, she thinks sarcastically. Jesse's voice harmonizes beautifully with hers, and when she finally allows herself to look at him she's flooded with such strong emotions it's impossible to look away.

As the song ends, the entire club jumps to its feet, cheering for them. She catches Benji and Fat Amy high-fiving each other as Jesse takes her hand, pulling her outside.

"I hate our friends," she tells him.

"Me too," he agrees before taking a deep breath. "Beca, listen, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you. I just don't want you to hurt anymore."

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry," she replies, "It's just that you're too good sometimes, too perfect, and I'm just a mess. I don't want you to have to deal with my problems. I don't get why you would even want to. Why do you put up with me anyway?"

"Because I am in love with you, idiot," he says simply.

This earns a smile from her, "I think you're the idiot. You fell for this," she gestures to herself.

"Beca," Jesse says softly, choosing his words carefully, "I know your dad left you, and I'm sorry. I know he regrets it every day of his life. I know that it's hard for you to trust people, to love people, but believe me when I tell you that I will never hurt you like that."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," she answers before adding, "You don't know what the future will bring."

"No, you're right I don't," he agrees, "But let's just stop looking for reasons to be apart and instead focus on how we are together. We're amazing, right?"

She smiles, taking a step towards him, "Well, you definitely are."

"I am only because that's how you make me feel, Beca," he kisses the back of her hand, "Seriously, what do I have to do to show you how amazing you are? And how unbelievably beautiful you look tonight?"

She moves so that her face is only inches from his, "Kiss me," she whispers, and he lowers his lips to hers. Just as the kiss heats up, she pulls back suddenly. "Hey, by the way," she tells him, "We have dinner plans tomorrow night with dad and Sheila."

He smiles broadly at her before replying, "I look forward to it," and then silences her with a kiss before she can utter another word.

Five years later and they're settling into their respective careers. He's been slowly climbing the ladder, with help from Beca, and she's taken on a few of the prime time shifts at the radio station where she can play some of her mixes. And when he gets stuck on a particular piece of music, he brings it home to her and she always manages to make it work, somehow.

They're content in their everyday lives, or so she thinks, until one day she finds a folded up piece of paper in the pocket of his jeans while she's doing their laundry. She opens it, trying to decide if it's trash or not and sees in his chicken scratch writing _Patty 323-555-6836._

_What the hell is he doing with a girl's phone number in his pocket, _she wonders but shrugs it off, thinking it must have something to do with work.

But Jesse begins acting strangely, and distant. He's coming home from work later and later, always with an explanation of a meeting or an important dinner with a client, and at first she thinks it's just a coincidence.

Then one weekend they're out shopping in the mall. They are drifting from store to store when they pass a jeweler. She pauses to look at the display counter for a moment before continuing. "That's pretty," she says, pointing to a sparkly diamond ring.

Jesse's mood shifts dramatically after that, and after he's snapped at her a few times out of nowhere she confronts him just as they're getting in the car to go home.

"What the hell is your problem?" she glares at him.

"What's my problem? I never thought you were the kind of girl who goes around pointing at rings, Beca," his eyes are dark.

"What?" she says, stunned, "I just thought it was pretty, I didn't say 'buy it for me Jesse!'"

"It was implied," he retorts. "I don't get it Beca," he continues, "You've made it very clear you didn't want to get married, and now this! I thought we didn't need the piece of paper, I thought we were happy!"

He's angry, and she's not sure what prompted this sudden outburst, so she stays silent for a moment.

"We are happy, ok?" she tells him. "I don't want the ring. Let's just drop it!"

And he doesn't say another word about it.

But Beca can't get it out of her mind. Does he really not want to marry her? Does he think she'll never want to get married? And suddenly, marriage is the central preoccupation of her mind. She's talking to Chloe on the phone one night about it when she finally voices her worst fears.

"What if he never wants anything more than this?" she asks Chloe.

"More than what? Your amazing relationship? Your love for each other?" her friend replies, and Beca feels silly, but only for a moment. And she's upset, legitimately hurt at the notion that Jesse might not ever want to marry her.

Months pass and life goes on as usual. It is Christmas time, and Beca is looking forward to having her dad and Sheila visit this year. They're set to arrive on Christmas Eve, and she's busying herself by getting the decorations up and the gifts wrapped.

They agree to exchange gifts on December 23, so they can do it before everyone gets there. She has bought him a few new shirts for work and a couple of DVDs she knows he's wanted for months. She wraps them carefully and sets them under the tree. That night after dinner he disappears for a while, and she assumes he's just wrapping her gifts. She finishes up the dishes and goes to sit in the living room by the tree.

They take turns, opening one gift at a time until there's only one left for her. He hands her the box, which is a shoe box with the lid and box wrapped separately in Santa Claus paper, and she easily lifts the lid. Inside it is a single red rose.

"The rest of your gift is in the bedroom," he says, standing and holding out his hand to her. He leads her up the stairs to their room, and when he opens the door she sees that he's lit about a hundred candles and placed them all over the room. There's red rose petals sprinkled all around and across the bed, and several vases full of roses line the corners of the room.

"Jesse," she gasps as she takes it all in, and when she turns to him she finds him on the floor, kneeling at her feet.

He takes her hand in his, "Beca," he begins, "I have loved you every day since we met almost 6 years ago. And I fall in love with you more each day. You are so amazing, and beautiful, and passionate, and there's no one else I'd rather spend my life with than you. Beca Mitchell, will you marry me?" And before she can process what's happening, he opens a small blue velvet box with the most beautiful diamond ring she's ever seen nestled in it and places it in her hand.

"Are you serious?" she blurts, still in shock.

He beams up at her, nodding.

"Yes!" she finally manages, "Oh my God, yes!" And he's slipping the ring on her finger and kissing her passionately. She pushes him away a moment later and punches him in the shoulder. "You jerk!"

"Wait, wha-" he splutters.

"You made me think you never wanted to get married! You made me doubt everything!" she says, poking him repeatedly, "You ass!"

He's laughing now, "Oh, that. That was all a ruse to get you thinking about marriage. Did it work?"

"I hate you," she says, but she's smiling, glowing actually.

"I love you," he replies, and he pulls her into another kiss.

"Hey wait," she breaks away again, "Who the hell is Patty and why did you have her number?"

"Patty, short for Patricia, a.k.a. Fat Patricia, a.k.a. Fat Amy – your friend," he explains, laughing. "I called her to help me pick out the ring."

"It's perfect," she whispers before he leans his mouth down to hers once more. He lowers her onto the bed, and his face is illuminated by the candles as he breaks the kiss in order to slowly pull her shirt up over her head. She runs her hands down his chest, lifting his shirt to expose his toned abs. She traces the ridges of his muscles as he says in between kisses, "Who's got the girl now, Luke?" causing her to giggle into his mouth and smack him playfully. But the mood quickly shifts back to serious as he picks up a stray rose petal and traces the outline of her face with it, and as she looks up at his gorgeous face, she wonders how she ever got so lucky.

They make love amidst the candles and rose petals. And even though they've done this a thousand times before, this time it's different. As he enters her, she opens her eyes, normally clenching them shut in a moment so intimate, and runs her fingers along his jaw as he smiles down at her. And suddenly, all those lame, cheesy love songs that her mom used to listen to on the radio make sense. She pulls his lips back to hers as they move together as one.

Jesse falls asleep, his naked body pressed into her side. Trying not to disturb him, she crosses the room on her way to the bathroom, stopping to slide the ring safely into her jewelry box before returning to bed.

When her eyes open the following morning, Jesse's still asleep. She sneaks out of bed and opens her jewelry box, praying last night wasn't only just a dream. She smiles when the ring sparkles back at her, and she slips it back on her finger, admiring its brilliance.

Later, he explains that he agonized over how to propose, deciding finally to keep it simple, because although he might be one for big, romantic gestures, she isn't.

"Don't worry babe," she assures him, "It was perfect."

"Yeah?" he asks.

"Yeah," she answers, "Because it was you."


	6. Six

Six seconds into the kiss and he feels her smile against his lips, and the butterflies he initially felt when he realized that she was singing to him on that stage begin fluttering wildly in his stomach all over again.

Six minutes later and he overhears Aubrey say to Beca, "I told you that you had a toner for Jesse!" He turns around to see Beca extending her middle finger to the girl as the rest of the Bellas erupt into laughter.

Six hours pass and he wakes suddenly. It takes a moment for him to remember his surroundings as his eyes adjust to the dimness of the room. He sees her shifting next to him, sighing in her sleep. The mattress still feels warm next to him and he realizes he must have awakened when his body lost contact with hers. She's restless, and the bed is creaky, and he sees Benji move across the room in the direction of the bathroom.

Just as Benji climbs back into bed she turns back towards Jesse, draping herself across his body, her head tucked between his shoulder and his neck. "Mmm, Jesse," she moans in her sleep, causing his eyes to shoot open wide.

"You lucky bastard," he hears Benji whisper in the darkness.

Six days later and they are sitting in a restaurant looking over the menu. The waitress walks up to their table to read them the specials, her eyes never leaving Jesse's as she does so. Jesse is polite and charming as usual, even joking around a bit with the waitress before she turns to retrieve their drink orders.

"Wow, I've never felt so invisible," Beca says sarcastically when she's out of earshot.

"I was just being nice," he explains, "I mean waitressing is a thankless job. And people can be so rude and demanding."

She just narrows her eyes at him. She's not blind. She knows he's attractive physically. She also knows that it's his personality that draws people to him wherever he goes. It's almost annoying, because it comes so easily to him.

"You're such a flirt," she teases.

"I was _not_ flirting," he responds, "I _never_ flirt!"

"Yeah right," she retorts, "You are shameless. The first day we officially met you practically threw yourself at me!"

"I did not throw myself," he corrects, "I simply know a good thing when I see it and I go for it."

She shakes her head at him, "And that good thing is Little Miss Specials over there?"

He laughs now, fiddling with the strip of paper that had wrapped his utensils together, "Are you jealous of my newfound relationship with Cynthia?"

"See!" she throws her balled up napkin at him, "You remember her name!"

"Maybe I just have a good memory!" he counters, before throwing the miniature paper airplane he's made from the wrapper at her.

It hits her in the chest before falling straight down into her cleavage just in time for Cynthia to return to their table, drinks in hand.

Beca fishes the plane out of her bra and holds it up in front of the waitress, smirking as Jesse's jaw nearly hits the table. "Sorry Cynthia, don't mind my boyfriend here," she tells the blonde before adding, "He's a total dork."

But he doesn't care, because it's the first time she's referred to him that way.

Six weeks later and she's dialing his number, waiting for his face to appear on her laptop screen. When it finally does, he's looking glum and dejected.

"Why the long face?" she asks him.

"I just miss you Becs," he replies, "So much."

"Me too," she admits.

"My mom's been on my case, says I've been sullen and grouchy. And she's always mumbling something under her breath about 'hormonal teenage guys' as if I can't hear her," he says, grinning.

"Tough break," she laughs,

"I cannot wait to see you again in person. Because when I do, I'm not letting go of you for a solid week," he tells her.

"As great as that sounds, I'm pretty sure we'll still need to attend classes," she replies.

"Destroyer of fun," he jokes.

"No really, I would love that," she's more serious now. "A lot," she adds, raising her eyebrows at him suggestively.

"Oh really?" the teasing tone is back in his voice.

"Really," she says more softly, "But for now, all I can do is dream about you."

At first he thinks she's kidding, but then she adds, "And my dreams are good. There's a surprising lack of clothing in them, though."

"Recurring nightmare that you're wandering your high school's corridors buck-naked?" he guesses.

"No, idiot," she laughs, "These dreams are much, _much_ better than that."

He shifts on his bed as he grasps her meaning, "Oh," he manages, "Am I in them?"

"Oh my God, do I have to spell it out for you Swanson?" she throws a pillow at her laptop, and they're both hysterical, gasping for breath. "Yes," she chokes out when she can finally breathe again, "Yes, you're in it. We're in it, doing very R-rated things."

"What, not NC-17?" he teases, and mimes ducking just as another pillow hits her screen.

Six months pass and it's the day of auditions. The Bellas only need to replace Aubrey and Chloe this year, so at a minimum they need two girls. In the end, four make the cut, and Beca leads them across campus for the initiation ceremony. She doesn't do it like Aubrey, except for the part where she hands them the official Barden Bellas scarf, which is tradition.

"Hey Shawshank," she hears Fat Amy interrupt as she's explaining what the competitions will be like to the newcomers, "Are you gonna enforce Aubrey's no Treble-boning rule this year, or do you think that would be unfair considering you're not going to follow it?"

All eyes turn to Beca as one of the freshman asks, "What is Treble-boning?"

"It's having sex with one of the Treblemakers," Stacie explains, "And since Beca's been having hot steamy sex constantly with their leader, she really can't make us follow that rule."

Beca frowns as another freshman adds, "Who, Jesse? He's a hottie," while a third asks, "Is he any good at least?"

It only escalates from there as they all begin flooding her with questions.

"Wait, by constantly do you mean every day?"

"Is he big?"

"So what kinds of stuff do you do?"

By now, Beca's face is crimson, but she holds her hands up in mock-surrender and says, "Whoa, whoa, enough already. Yes, I'm with Jesse, but I'm not going to discuss anything else with you guys."

Thankfully, they let it drop, but she can tell they're still whispering about it later when they arrive at hood night.

Meanwhile, Jesse has added five guys to the Trebles. He's feeling confident with his selections when they arrive at the amphitheater later that evening for the party. He scans the crowd and locates Beca, hunching over the laptop that is serving as a DJ for the night. She's clicking frantically on the keyboard and mouse, no doubt completely changing the play list for the night. When one of her mixes begins pumping through the speakers, there's a loud cheer as everyone starts dancing and singing along with it.

He smiles, about to go greet her when Benji taps him on the shoulder, wanting advice on how to approach one of the freshman Bellas. Jesse talks to him for a few minutes before again looking around for his girlfriend, when he spots her in the middle of the crowd talking to one of his new recruits, Scott.

She's not happy. This guy Scott is clearly already drunk, and he's being a bit loud and obnoxious for her taste. She's trying to be polite since this guy is a new Treble, but her attention keeps shifting between him and the laptop. She wants to finish the playlist so that she can start trying to have fun at this party.

She's only half listening to him when he grabs her by the arm and pulls her over to him, "Hey baby, I'm just trying to talk to you." She's trying to remove herself from his grasp as Jesse clears the distance between them in two seconds flat.

"Let go," she says, her hands clenched into fists.

"What's the problem?" Scott slurs, "I know your type, all 'alternative' and scary. I hear you're a pistol in the sack."

"Get the hell off her!" Jesse yells, and Scott turns to face him, still holding on to Beca.

"Don't worry man, we can share her—" Scott starts to say, but is cut off by Jesse's fist hitting him square in the jaw. He stumbles back a bit, letting go of her in the process, and Jesse steps between them.

"Get the fuck out of here," he hisses, "And I never want to see you around her or us again!"

"Sorry man," Scott holds up his hands, "After all I heard about her, I thought she was fair game."

Jesse's eyes narrow as he points towards campus, "I said go!" He's seething when he adds, "Oh, and you're off the Trebles, permanently.

When Scott finally disappears out of sight, he turns to look at Beca. She's standing there, stone faced, unmoving when he moves to stand in front of her.

"Beca, are you ok? Did he hurt you?"

She shakes her head, but when he tries to pull her into a hug she flinches. "I-I, uh, need to leave," she manages to choke out, before turning around and running up the steps of the amphitheater.

He catches up to her as she's walking across the quad in the direction of her dorm. "Beca, wait! What's wrong? Are you sure he didn't hurt you because if he did I—"

"Not physically!" she snaps, but her voice breaks and it is then that he notices she's crying.

"Beca—"

"What did he mean, 'after all I heard about her', Jesse? I thought what went on between us was private!"

"It is," he insists, "I swear I didn't say anything to anyone."

"Then why would he say that about me?" she's wiping her eyes as she opens the door to her dorm building and steps into the corridor. "You know the girls are constantly asking me questions about us, and I never tell them a thing. _Never_, Jesse."

"Remember that night a few weeks ago when we were in the shower in the Treble house?" he asks her and she nods, "Well, we weren't exactly alone in the house that night like I thought."

"Wait, what?" she spins around to face him as they enter her room. "Oh my God, I was _so_ loud!" She claps a hand over her mouth.

"Yeah, and the next day the guys were ribbing me, asking me what I did to you that made you scream my name like that."

"Jesse!" she plops down on the bed and covers his face. "Great, now I'm known as the campus slut."

"Guess I'm going to have to punch a lot of people in the face then," he tries to joke, but she only smiles weakly. "Seriously Bec, I thought you would have decked the guy before I got over there. Why didn't you?"

She doesn't say anything and he's puzzled. He knows she isn't drunk because she rarely drinks anything, and when she does she's never to the point of intoxication.

"I don't know," she replies, but he knows her well enough by now to know that she's lying.

"Tell me," he says softly, sitting beside her on the bed and taking her hand in his. "I know it wasn't just because you wanted to see these in action," he flexes his arms and she rolls her eyes at him.

"Maybe I'm afraid that what he said about me is true," she whispers, so quietly it's almost Lilly-like.

"That's ridiculous," he tells her, "You've only been with one other guy before me, and it was only one time."

She looks down at her hands, which she's wringing in her lap, "Yeah but I didn't tell you _how _it happened."

He's assumed it was like his first time, senior prom night. He'd only slept with his date because he'd viewed it like a rite of passage, and he figured this way when he found someone he loved, he would be able to focus on her instead of his nerves. Plus, he'd gone to prom with his then girlfriend who he did care about at the time. But Beca knew all this already.

"When I was sixteen, I was really, really angry with my father. And I was rebelling and doing everything I could to piss him off, including drinking. I started seeing this guy with piercings and tattoos just to make him angry. And one night, when I'd had too much to drink we started fooling around in the back of his van. I didn't want to go that far, it just happened. And after, he never called me again."

His eyes close as he processes what she's just told him. "You told him no?"

"Yes, at least I think I did. I was so drunk," she shakes her head, "And later I just felt like shit. I mean, there I was drinking and acting like I was some badass. I guess on some level I thought I deserved it."

"Beca, no," he tilts her chin so that she has to look at him. "You did nothing wrong. I am so, so sorry that happened to you."

"I've never told anyone that before," she admits.

And Jesse's heart breaks as he cups her face with his hands, wiping the tears away with his thumbs. Suddenly, many things about her make sense. Why she has trouble trusting, why she's so intensely private, why she doesn't drink, and why she can be so fragile at times. He doesn't even notice that he's clenching his jaw with rage until she breaks the moment by saying, "Are you going to find him too and kick his ass?"

"It's not funny," he replies.

"Jesse, please," she insists, "It's in the past. I'm ok. I'm safe. I'm with you."

He kisses her then, a sweet, soft kiss full of tenderness and longing. He knows she's in a vulnerable state, and he whispers over and over again how much he loves her as he plants kisses to her lips and then her neck before pulling her into an embrace.

They hug for an immeasurable amount of time before she whispers into his ear, "Make love to me, Jesse."

And he does slowly, gently worshipping every inch of her. When he pushes into her she kisses him passionately before whispering into his ear, "I love you."

Later, he wraps her protectively in his arms until he knows she's fallen asleep. He lies awake for a long while, just listening to the sound of her breathing, and thinking he'd rather die than let anyone hurt her ever again.

Six years later and Beca is pacing the floor of her father's office at Barden, her veil flowing behind her as she makes each turn.

"I can't believe I waited until the last minute to do this!" she tells Fat Amy, Chloe, and Lilly, her bridesmaids. "I know his are going to be perfect, and probably have been written for months."

"Just say what's in your heart," Chloe assures her, but Beca can't stop the nervous butterflies that have seemingly taken up residence in her stomach.

They had decided to write their own vows, being that this was a non-religious affiliated ceremony being held in the amphitheater at their alma mater. They had decided on the location after she had admitted to him that this was the place they had been when she first realized she liked him.

"That's never been my strong suit," Beca scoffs in response, shaking her head as she continues to pace.

"When you get up there, just imagine it's only you and Jesse. Forget about everyone else. Forget about the day, and just tell him what he means to you," Chloe encourages.

"I don't know that I can put that into words," Beca replies, eliciting an "Aww," from her friends.

"It'll be ok, Becs," her father says as he enters, "I promise. You ready?" he asks, extending his hand to her.

"I'm going to fall down those steps and break my neck in these shoes," she grumbles as her father leads her to the amphitheater. She hears Pachelbel's Canon in D begin to play, and Fat Amy, Lilly, and Chloe begin their walk down the aisle ahead of her. When the music shifts to Jeremiah Clarke's Trumpet Voluntary, she knows it's her cue. She links arms with her father, tightly grips her bouquet, and walks to the top of the amphitheater steps.

Jesse looks up as the music changes to see his bride, dressed in a simple strapless dress and long flowing veil perched on top of her loose curls, and she takes his breath away. He knows she isn't one for dresses, lace, tulle, or even weddings for that matter, and that she's doing all of this for him. But to him, she's never looked more beautiful.

She descends the steps, her eyes fixed on him. He looks incredibly handsome in his tux, but it's the way he's looking at her that gives her the strength to keep walking. It's a mixture of love, pride, joy, and admiration for her, and suddenly, it's as if only he exists in her world.

When she finally reaches him, and her father places her hand in his, he whispers softly in her ear, "You're gorgeous," and she blushes the color of the red roses she's carrying.

The officiant starts the ceremony, and she's only half listening. All she can do is stare at him and try to regulate her breathing. He smiles and her and strokes the backs of her hands with his thumbs, and she takes a deep breath as he starts his vows.

"Beca," he begins, his voice trembling slightly, "When I first saw you, I thought you were the most beautiful girl I'd ever laid eyes on, and I'll admit, I flirted shamelessly with you from that moment on," the crowd laughs at this. "But the more I learned about you, the more you let me in; I realized that you were so passionate about music, about people, about life, that it scared you. And I wanted nothing more than help you stop hiding from that passion. Because you have the most amazing heart, Beca, and I'm the luckiest dork in the world because you fell in love with me. I promise to love you more each day, and to be your weirdo every day from this day forward."

There are some "Awws" from their family and friends as Beca takes a deep breath before saying, "Jesse, I've known you for almost seven years now, the first of which I spent pushing you away. But you never gave up on me. You're the most genuine, honest, decent man I've ever known. And even though we fight sometimes, I find that no matter what, at the end of the day there's no one I'd rather spend my life with than you. And I don't know what I did to deserve you still. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I love you more than I could ever put into words, and I'll spend the rest of my days trying to give you everything you give me each day."

They are both trying to hold back tears at this point as the officiant continues to the "I do's", and before he can even finish the phrase, "You may now kiss the bride," Jesse's lips are pressed firmly to hers as he picks her up off the ground. They kiss for a long while and only break apart after the whistling and catcalls from the crowd reach a deafening volume.

"I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Swanson!" the officiant announces, and everyone cheers as they run up the amphitheater steps, hand in hand.

"See, you're mine now," he teases her as they reach their limo, and she elbows him in the ribs once for good measure before kissing him senseless.

Later at the reception, they dance their first dance together as husband and wife to Frank Sinatra's The Way You Look Tonight, with Jesse singing every word to her softly in her ear as he twirls her around the dance floor.

When it's Benji's turn to give his Best Man speech, he stands in front of the newlyweds and says, "I was lucky that fate decided to randomly place Jesse as my roommate freshman year in college, because he's the best friend I've ever known. He was also awesome to live with, those four years, except for the brief times that Beca wasn't in his life. Dude, you were miserable," he says to Jesse as everyone laughs. "And Beca, you're amazing, what can I say? I was more than happy to step in and be best man, you know, in the event that something happened to Jesse and I had to marry you myself. In fact…" And he begins singing.

_Jesse is a friend_

_Yeah I know he's been a good friend of mine_

_But lately something's changed that ain't hard to define_

_Jesse's got himself a girl and I want to make her mine…_

The rest of the Treblemakers in attendance all jump up from their seats to accompany him. And when they finish serenading the new bride with Jessie's Girl, she's shaking with laughter, her forehead pressed into Jesse's shoulder.

"Dude!" Jesse exclaims clapping Benji on the back as he stands to hug him, "So this explains why you took me to a shooting range for my bachelor party!" And then everyone's laughing again.

And later, after all the goodbyes and thank yous have been said, Jesse unlocks the door to their hotel room, swinging it open before scooping Beca up and carrying over the threshold.

"You're such a dork," she teases him, but her voice is soft. She sits on the edge of the bed, removing her shoes and her jewelry, and unpinning her veil.

She feels the mattress dip as he climbs onto the bed behind her and presses a light kiss to her bare shoulder before beginning to work on the back of her gown, which is laced up the back corset-style. "Too much fabric," he murmurs into her skin, causing her to shiver as his fingers work nimbly at the strings. He's placing gentle kisses to her neck, her shoulders, and her back as he works, and she feels her heart racing. When she stands finally the dress falls to the floor, pooling at her feet. She steps out and climbs into bed with him, clad only in her bra and underwear.

"C'mere," she tells him, grabbing hold of his tie before pulling him down on top of her. His tuxedo is quickly discarded as is the remainder of her clothing when she reaches up to cradle his face in her hands. "I meant every word I said today," she whispers, "I love you. So, so, much."

"I know Mrs. Swanson," he kisses her temple. "I did too. Thank you so much for today, it was perfect. You're perfect."

"Only for you," she smiles, and she flips them so that she's straddling his hips.

"_And she's lovin' him with that body I just know it!_" he sings before she lowers herself onto him suddenly, cutting him off effectively. She lifts his left hand that now wears her ring, kissing it lightly before saying, "Now you're mine, and don't you forget it."

"How can I?" he replies, his eyes sparkling, "The ring is inscribed 'don't you forget about me', so by law, I'm required."

She rotates her hips onto his and he moans, "Good," she nods as she allows him to roll her over onto her back, their bodies still joined.

They keep their eyes locked on each other as he thrusts into her, and she's clinging to him, trying desperately to pull him impossibly closer. She wants to feel the weight of him on her as he pushes her into the mattress. "My husband," she says with reverence, and he stills for a moment before a look of adoration spreads across his handsome face.

"My wife," he whispers as he quickens the pace once more, sending them both over the edge together. He collapses on top of her, trying to catch his breath as she holds him to her tightly. He turns them over until she's draped over his body, chest to chest with her head over his heart.

They fall asleep that way, wrapped around each other, just as the clock strikes midnight, and they begin the first day of married life together.


	7. Seven

Seven seconds into the kiss and she can barely think straight when he puts his hands on her hips and pulls her flush against his body.

Seven minutes pass and the question that's been on the tip of his tongue since he saw her sing that song, their song up on that stage, finally comes out as he turns around to ask her, "So, I know you arranged that set list, but do they know why?"

She shakes her head, "It's an awesome song, and it doesn't require an explanation." He grins back at her when she adds, "Billy Idol was an idiot for passing it up."

Seven hours later and she wakes; her face just inches from his as they lie on the bed facing each other. It takes her a moment to remember how she got here, and when the details of the night come flooding back she smiles at him in the darkness. He looks so peaceful, and she wonders what he's thinking about in his sleep. As she stares at him, her breath catches in her throat as she marvels about how beautiful he is. His skin is flawless, his thick, slightly wavy hair is soft to her touch, and his chocolate brown eyes, although she can't see them right now, are so expressive and gorgeous that she finds herself getting lost in them. She reaches out and slowly trails her fingertips down the side of his face and along his jawline and he stirs slightly. Not wanting to wake him, she turns over, pressing her back into his chest, and he slings an arm over her in his sleep, holding her close to him. She smiles and falls back asleep, secure in his arms.

Seven days pass and they're lying together in her bed, her naked form pressed into his bare side. She's lightly tracing circles on his chest with her index finger and he sighs, closing his eyes at the sensation.

"Beca?" he asks tentatively.

"Yeah?" she replies, her fingers trailing down his bicep. She loves his arms.

"Was that ok for you? I mean, do you think we rushed into it?" he shifts on the bed.

"Yes. And no," she answers. "It's not like we just met, Jesse. We've known each other for months. You've been my best friend here for a while now."

"Good," he breathes a sigh of relief, "Because for me it was," he pauses, trying to come up with the right words, "A dream come true."

"Jesse," she elbows him playfully in the ribs, "Come on."

"No, really," he says seriously, "I've wanted to be with you like this since we first met. And then I heard you sing, and then rap, and I was a goner."

She rolls her eyes at him even though she's secretly thrilled at his words, "Dork," she teases him.

"When did you decide you wanted me?" he asks, his tone serious as he runs his fingers down the curve of her hip.

She thinks for a moment before answering, "That night we watched the end of The Breakfast Club," she admits, "You know, when we almost kissed."

"I remember," he says, "So why did you turn away then?"

"I was afraid," she whispers, laying her head on his chest.

"Of what?" he encourages her.

"Of how much I cared about you, of ruining our friendship, of growing attached to someone here when I was planning on leaving at the end of the year, of getting hurt, of complicating things," she explains.

"I think we've just complicated things," he jokes, his eyes shining, "_Lover_," he adds, and she tickles his abs. "Seriously Bec, I don't want you to be afraid. I'm not going anywhere."

"I know," she says softly, kissing his chest, "Now you better get dressed_ lover_ boy, because Kimmy Jin could show up here any minute now and I don't want her complaining about your nakedness."

"Kimmy Jin can talk?" he deadpans as he pulls on his shirt and boxers before climbing back into bed with her.

And when Kimmy Jin does return, she rolls her eyes in disgust at the couple as they sleep in Beca's small bed, enfolded in each other's arms.

Seven weeks pass and he arrives home from his summer job, exhausted and frustrated. His boss is a real jerk, and has him running mindless errands for him instead of working with music like he had hoped.

"Something came for you," his mother says as he enters the kitchen. She hands him a rather large package with his name and address neatly printed on top. When he sees that in place of a name on the return address it reads "Your Weirdo," he smiles and carries the parcel up to his bedroom.

He slices through the tape closing it and opens the flaps, to reveal a small piece of paper.

_Just thought you might like a little surprise after a long day of working for your asshat of a boss. Hope you enjoy! I miss you. Love, Beca_

He smiles and lifts the note to reveal some DVDs, each bearing a post-it note with a message.

On Fight Club: _This is the best ending to any movie. Seriously, it's the bomb. See what I did there?_

On Garden State: _The soundtrack on this is phenomenal. Great closing song too._

On Watchmen: _Can't say I made it through this one. This is for the nerd in you. But the opening montage set to a Bob Dylan song is fantastic. After that, I fell asleep._

He places them in a pile next to his bed and lifts the next item in the box. It's a rewritable CD with a note stuck to it that reads: _Some of my mixes. Let me know what you think._

There's a box of microwave popcorn too, and a bag of M&Ms which she knows he loves to munch on while watching movies. He removes those to reveal a folded up garment with a note attached: _I figured it's only fair since I stole your Trebles hoodie that I give you my favorite one in return. We can switch back the next time we see each other…maybe._

He smiles and lifts out the black zip-up sweatshirt and holds it to his face, breathing in the scent of her. At the bottom of the box there's a final note which reads simply: _I love you, Becs._

He picks up his phone and dials her number. When she answers he says, "You know it's not really fair. You can actually wear my hoodie. Yours is child-sized."

"You got the package?" she asks, and he can tell she's smiling by her tone.

"Yup," he replies, "Thank you, it really made my day."

And later, she falls asleep wrapped in his hoodie while he curls up with hers, clutching it to his chest while he dreams of her.

Seven months pass and they're walking across the quad together, while he's talking on his cell phone, _again_.

"Sorry," he says as he hangs up, "That was Stephanie again. She's stressing over our presentation next month."

Stephanie is his assigned partner for his research design class. They have to complete a semester long project and then present it to the entire class, which counts as half of their final grade. Beca knows how much work they have been doing, but it just seems like Stephanie calls, texts, and meets with Jesse a lot.

And lately, these frequent interactions with Stephanie seem to be infringing on her time with him. When she points out that their last phone call hadn't exactly been project related, his reply is, "Well we both just hate the professor so much, so she gets it when I vent about him."

At first Beca didn't mind. She trusted Jesse and knew he was committed to her. Then about a month into the semester they ran into Stephanie at the dining hall. She was gorgeous, with long flowing blonde hair, curves, a pretty face, and a great set of boobs.

"You never mentioned how pretty Stephanie is," she had said to him later.

He shrugged, "I never noticed."

But it's later when they're in his room watching a movie together on his laptop that she hears his phone chime with an incoming text. He turns away from the screen to look at it.

"Who is it?" she says sleepily, yawning.

He laughs at whatever it says, and then holds up his finger to silence her while he dials a number.

"Hey Steph," he says into his phone before starting an animated conversation with her, leaving Beca to watch the movie alone.

_Steph?_ Beca thinks, so now he's using cute nicknames for her too? Without saying a word, she picks up her phone and her keys and leaves the room, slamming his door behind her.

She's halfway across the quad when he catches up to her. "Beca! Beca wait!" he yells.

"What?" she snaps, turning around to face him.

"What's wrong? Did I do something?" he asks, out of breath.

"Oh, so now I'm important to you? Because it hasn't seemed that way lately!" she grits out, her teeth clenched in anger.

"What? You mean Steph? I told you we're working on our big project together. We're assigned partners, Beca. I didn't ask for—"

"For what? For her to be gorgeous? For you to spend most of your time now talking to her, texting her, and working on your project with her?"

He crosses his arms across his chest, a smile playing at his lips, "You're jealous," he points out.

"I am not! You're being an asshole!" she scowls.

"I'm sorry," he tells her, "I know I've been spending a lot of time with Stephanie, but I'm just so stressed about this class and she gets that. I don't want to burden you with it."

"I'm your girlfriend, that's my job," she argues, her back to him.

"Beca," he says softly as he moves to sweep the hair off her shoulders, "Please. I'm sorry. Stephanie means nothing to me. I love you."

"Prove it," she retorts, and before she can say anything else, he's swept her off her feet and is now carrying her in the direction of her dorm room.

"Jesse!" she hisses, but he ignores her and her attempts to wiggle out of his grasp.

"Keys," he demands as he reaches her building, and she reluctantly slaps them into his palm, having no real choice in the matter.

When he sets her down in her room minutes later, she still won't look at him. "You called her Steph," she whispers quietly.

"It's just a nickname," he replies.

"I'm not stupid," she continues, "I know you're a catch. I know Stephanie's not blind to that. I just, I can't—"

"Beca," he turns her face to his, "I swear to you, I look at her like she's my sister. There is nothing to worry about. There is nothing going on." He knows that because of her father, she needs more than words to reassure her.

He takes her hand in his and places it over his heart, "I am in love with you," he says softly, and her eyes fill up with unshed tears.

"I love you to," she sniffs, "I'm sorry I freaked out, I just get so afraid sometimes that I'm going to turn around one day and you won't be here. That you'll have found someone better."

"I promise you, I will never, _ever_ do that to you," he whispers, pressing a kiss to her cheek, "And there is no one better for me than you."

"Prove it," she repeats, only this time her voice is softer.

He kisses her then, holding her hand in place on his heart, and she feels it beat rapidly beneath her palm. "Feel that?" he whispers onto her lips, "It's because of you, it's only for you."

She smiles finally, relaxing to his touch, and she returns the kiss, pushing him back on her bed as she tangles her tongue with his. She straddles his hips then, pinning him to the mattress as she begins pulling his t-shirt up by the hem. His phone buzzes again on her desk and she reaches for it, seeing a message from Stephanie. She types back, _Sorry can't talk, having hot sex with my girlfriend who I am madly in love with._

Then she tosses the phone back on her desk, grinning wickedly at him as he gazes up at her, a mixture of adoration and lust etched across his handsome face. "You are so damn sexy when you're jealous," he tells her.

"Prove it," she purrs lowly in his ear and he moans, before flipping her over on her back and doing just that.

Seven years later and they're in one of the spare bedrooms in their house. It's early on a Saturday morning and she sits cross-legged on the floor in the middle of the room holding up paint samples to see how they look in the daylight. "How about this?" she asks him, handing him a blue paint chip.

"Don't you want to go a little more gender neutral?" he asks.

"What? Our parents don't like blue?" she questions. "This is going to be a guest room. Blue is supposed to make people feel calm and happy."

"What about green, yellow, or beige?" he suggests, "They're more versatile."

"I think this blue will match that painting I saw last week. You know the one we loved?" She turns to point at the wall, "We could hang it right there over where the bed is going to be."

"I don't know that we should be spending money on art for in here," he says, "Let's just keep it simple."

"It's not like we don't have the money," she counters, "Besides, last week you said you loved that painting."

"I do," he nods, "But I don't want to spend money on something that we're going to end up changing eventually."

"Why would we change it?" she asks, but the answer dawns on her before she can even finish asking the question. "Oh."

"Yeah," he says, looking at the floor.

"I told you before we got married, actually years before that, that I didn't know if I wanted children," she says quietly.

"I know," he replies.

"And I still haven't decided anything. As of right now my answer is still no. You told me you were ok with that, Jesse. You said that you still wanted to marry me, because you didn't want anyone else to be the mother of your children."

He sighs, "I know, but maybe I'm hoping you'll change your mind eventually."

"And what if I don't? Then what?" she looks up at him expectantly.

He shrugs, "I don't know."

"Besides, you know I might not be able to have any children," she's looking down at the paint chips scattered all over the floor.

"You don't know that for sure," he clarifies, "You're basing that off something some doctor told you when you were a teenager. There are tests you could have done now, if you'd just—"

"There's a reason I'm an only child, Jesse. My mother couldn't carry any more babies to term. I remember her last miscarriage, it was awful. I don't know if I could handle that," her eyes are glistening with tears.

He moves to sit down beside her, "Bec, we've only been married for a year. We don't have to decide anything yet, ok?"

"Ok," she says half-heartedly. She knows Jesse wants to be a father. She knows he'd be a wonderful dad. He's unusually quiet for the rest of the day, and she knows he's thinking about their conversation. He always gets this way when the topic of children arises.

A few weeks pass, and they are visiting Chloe's new infant son. And while she's awkward and unsure when Chloe hands her the newborn, Jesse is a natural. She looks at him from across the room and her heart breaks a little as she sees his face light up whenever he looks at the baby.

"Ok," she tells him on the way home from Chloe's that night, "I'll go to the doctor."

"Ok," he says, squeezing her hand, "I'll go with you if you want me to."

"No need," she replies.

A month later and she's subjected to a variety of invasive tests and procedures. The doctors are kind but clinical in how they explain each test to her. They tell her she'll have to wait another month for the results to arrive.

She tries to forget about it, and so does he. "It's just test results," she tells him one night two weeks in, "This doesn't mean I want to have kids, we're just going to find out if I _can_."

He nods at her over his dinner plate, but says nothing.

The phone call comes while she's at work. When her cell phone lights up with the doctor's number, she can feel her heart pounding as she answers it. The news isn't good. The gynecologist she saw as a teenager was right. She hangs up with the doctor's words on a continuous loop in her brain, _"It is not impossible for you to become pregnant, but unlikely. And even if you do, it will be difficult to carry the baby to term."_

She breaks down crying then, feeling as though she lost something she never really had. When her boss sends her home for the day after seeing her emotional state, she calls Jesse from the car and tells him the news. She's glad that she can't see him react, because she doesn't think she can stand to watch his heart break.

When he arrives home later that evening, he's carrying a bouquet of flowers for her and take-out for their dinner. He pulls her into a hug and kisses her hair, telling her that everything is going to be ok.

"No it isn't," she answers.

"Didn't the doctor say there's a surgery they can do that might help?" he asks.

"Yes, but it's only a temporary fix, and the recovery is painful, and it's very invasive and might not even work," she's trying not to just break down in front of him. She feels like she's failing him.

"Beca, don't," he leans down so that his face is even with hers, "This isn't your fault. I love you, no matter what, and I always will."

She manages to give him a small smile before they sit down to eat dinner together. He ends up falling asleep on the couch watching a movie, and she heads up to bed alone. It's then that she finally allows herself to cry.

She wakes around 3:30 in the morning as she feels him climbing into bed behind her. She's curled on her side and he spoons behind her, wrapping his arms around her. When he starts pressing light kisses to her neck and shoulders, she turns over to face him. She feels a pull in the pit of her stomach, and she realizes how much she needs him.

He closes the distance between them, kissing her passionately before rolling her on top of him. Pajamas are shed as they begin moving together. He pauses to reach into his nightstand for a condom.

"Don't," she tells him.

"Really?" he breathes.

"I just need to feel you," she replies honestly, and when he fills her, it occurs to her that this is what perfection feels like.

Two weeks later and she comes home from work to find him seated on the sofa, watching yet another one of his movies. She drops a plastic grocery bag down in his lap, and when he opens it to see what's inside, he looks up at her in shock.

"Beca, what—"

"I'm late," she explains.

They go to their master bathroom to take the test. He opens the box and reads the directions carefully, explaining each step to her. She's laughing at how awkward it is, peeing on a stick. They put the tiny blue cap back on the end, put the test face down on the vanity, and set his cell phone timer for three minutes.

"Can I be the one to turn it over?" he asks, and she agrees.

After what feels like the longest three minutes of their lives, the timer beeps. He stands, holding the test in his hand before slowly turning it over. His expression is unreadable for a moment before he looks up at her and says, "I told you it was inevitable."

"Wait, what?" she rushes over to him.

And sure enough, as clear as day, the test reads 'Pregnant'.

Weeks pass, and she safely reaches the thirteen-week mark, and spends the day telling her boss and coworkers the news. He's at work late, having had to attend a banquet for an important client. She's content to have the house to herself for an evening as well as sole custody of the remote control. She turns on a rerun of one of her favorite sitcoms, and settles comfortably on the couch.

She's immersed in the plot when she feels an odd sensation between her legs. She reaches down and feels something damp. When she lifts her hand, it is damp with blood.

"No, no, no, no!" she yells to the empty house as she rushes into the bathroom. She peels off her pants and sits down on the toilet. When she stands and looks into the porcelain bowl, it is tinged red with blood. "Please God, no!" She's frantic now, and rushes upstairs to get a change of clothes and to call her OB/GYN, who instructs her to go to the emergency room immediately.

She calls Jesse, but he doesn't pick up. "Jesse," she sobs to his voicemail, "I'm bleeding and I'm heading to the hospital with Chloe. Please call me as soon as you get this."

She lies on the floor with her feet up in the air, thinking gravity might help keep the baby in place, and is clutching a box of tissues to her chest like a teddy bear when Chloe arrives to take her to the hospital. She crawls into the backseat of the car and looks up at the ceiling, tears trailing down her cheeks.

She calls Jesse again, and again, but he doesn't answer. They arrive at the emergency room and check her in before assessing her vitals and then asking her to take a seat until a room opens becomes available.

"This can't be happening," she tells Chloe, "I felt him move today, I swear to you I did." They've been referring to the baby as 'he' even though they don't know the sex yet. She didn't want to call the baby 'it'.

She's shaking as they lead her back to an exam room, and a very kind nurse hooks her up to an IV and draws blood for testing. She's being wheeled on a stretcher into another room for an ultrasound when she sees Jesse running toward her.

"Oh my God, Beca," he's out of breath from running, "Are you ok? I'm so sorry! I couldn't hear my phone in there. I came as soon as I could." He's frantic, and looks as though he's been crying too.

She's never been so glad to see him in her life. They do the ultrasound with the monitor turned away from her so she can't see the baby. She's shaking so hard they have to hold her down, and she can't seem to catch her breath.

"Is the baby alright?" she keeps asking, but nobody will answer her.

They wait for what seems like years back in her exam room before the doctor finally comes back into the room. "The good news is, your baby is totally fine," he explains, "You just have a severe urinary tract infection which caused the bleeding. You're going to have to take strong antibiotics, but everything should be just fine."

They are relieved, and are told that she's free to leave. He helps her get dressed as the nurse brings their discharge papers. And as Beca's eyes flash over the words 'Threatened miscarriage' at the top of the paper, it hits her how much she already loves this baby, their baby.

And as Jesse sings to her growing belly later that night, she knows that everything really is going to be ok, as long as she has her wonderful husband, and this new tiny miracle now growing inside her.


	8. Eight

Eight seconds into the kiss and he resists the urge to pick her up and lift her over the bank of seats dividing them. Instead, he presses his body into hers, trying to get as close to her as possible.

Eight minutes later and they're watching another group dressed as mimes perform the song Living in a Box by the group Living in a Box from the album Living in a Box, complete with dance moves that make them look like they're in invisible boxes. She leans forward in her seat and says in his ear, "And people think _we're_ the weirdos." He laughs in agreement, smiling back at her.

Eight hours pass and he wakes to the sound of the toilet flushing and Benji stubbing his toe as he shuffles back to bed.

"Sorry," Benji whispers when he sees that Jesse is awake. Beca is turned away from them, her back pressed into Jesse's side. Benji gestures to her and asks quietly, "So…what's this?"

"I don't know yet, but I'm not complaining," Jesse replies.

"It's about time," Benji whispers, "You've been jonesing for her all year. It was getting kind of pathetic, man."

"Shut up," Jesse laughs quietly, but he doesn't care how pathetic he is in this moment with her curled up against him. He rolls and buries his face in her hair, falling asleep once more.

Eight days after the kiss and she wakes in his arms to Kimmy Jin saying, "This is a dorm room, not a cheap motel Beca," scornfully as she storms out of the room on her way to class.

They both laugh and he kisses her softly on the lips before climbing out of bed. "As much as I hate to leave, I have to get to class. I'll see you later?" he asks with a grin, and she nods as he turns to go.

Later, she's about to go to the quad to study and work on her music when her phone buzzes with an incoming text from Aubrey. _We've been invited to sing at the state capitol in two weeks. Report to rehearsals ASAP._

She packs up her things and makes her way over to rehearsal. When she arrives the girls are all chatting excitedly about the upcoming performance. "Aubrey, we're just going to do the same set as we did at the finals, we've got that down cold already."

There's a murmur of agreement in the group, but Aubrey insists that they practice. After the third run-through, they stop for a water break and Chloe pulls her aside.

"What's with you?" she asks.

"What do you mean?" Beca wonders.

"You look…happy. You can't stop smiling. Did something happen?" Chloe is a ball of energy.

Before Beca can answer Stacie saunters over to them, "Oh, I know that look," she says before turning to the rest of the girls and proclaiming, "Beca got some!"

"Stacie!" Beca hisses, but it's too late. Nine pairs of eyes are staring at her as she blushes a crimson red.

"Beca?" Aubrey questions, and she knows there's no use denying it. It's written all over her face. Instead, she walks over to one of the chairs and begins dragging it across the floor towards the exit.

"Beca wait!" Chloe calls after her before turning to Aubrey, a bewildered expression on her face.

"She broke an oath!" Aubrey insists.

"Oh come on, this isn't just random Treble-boning!" Fat Amy interjects, "They're in love!"

Beca's head snaps around at that last statement, shaking her head at Fat Amy. "Come on, we've all seen the way you look at each other!" Cynthia Rose adds.

"He's definitely in love with you, even if you aren't there yet," Chloe says assuredly.

Love? Beca hadn't considered this. Well, that's a lie, she had. She just didn't want to think about it, not yet. Just then, her phone buzzes in her pocket and she retrieves it to find a message from Jesse. _Been thinking about you all day and can't stop smiling. Counting the seconds until I can kiss you again._

Her heart flutters, and she smiles widely. "You guys are so adorable!" Chloe exclaims as the other girls minus Aubrey all "Aww" in agreement.

"Ok fine," Aubrey reluctantly nods, "Beca can stay. But under no circumstances is she to discuss any Bella related business with Jesse. Deal?" she looks expectantly at Beca.

"Deal," Beca agrees, "And let's just hope my vocal cords don't get ripped out by wolves."

And when she finally does see Jesse later in his dorm room he tells her, "I got such a ribbing from the Trebles and Benji today, they could tell something was up with me."

"Yeah, I almost got kicked off the Bellas," she rolls her eyes, "But Aubrey reconsidered, and gave me permission to date you."

"Oh, well I'm glad she approves," he says sarcastically. "Seriously though, I haven't stopped smiling all day."

"Me neither," she replies, "I'm afraid my face is going to freeze like this and I'll lose my badass alt-girl image."

"Wouldn't want that," he says more softly, sweeping her hair off her shoulder to reveal her neck before beginning to press light kisses to her exposed skin.

"No," she murmurs, closing her eyes, "Image is very important in the music business."

"Beca?"

"Mmm?"

"Shut up."

He's pushing her plaid button-up down her shoulders, leaving her in a black tank top as he moves to kiss her lips. "I've been wanting to do this all day," he whispers as his lips ghost across her skin, and her heart starts pounding erratically.

And as her fingers nimbly unbutton his blue plaid shirt, she thinks that maybe the word love isn't that scary after all.

Eight weeks later and he's just hung up the phone with her, after not hearing from her for several days. He was worried sick, but now that they've talked he knows why she panicked. Still, he hates that it's her instinct to push everyone away, including him. He worries about her, and he often just wishes he could turn back time and undo the hurt her parents caused her.

He's trying to figure out what to do to help cheer her up when he spies the empty cardboard box she sent his care package in last week sitting on the floor of his bedroom. Her address is clearly printed in the corner, and he gets an idea.

A few days later Beca checks the mailbox as she arrives home after work, and carries the pile into the kitchen with her, leafing through it as she goes. She stops when she sees an envelope addressed to her, and smiles when she sees the return address reads: _Your awesome nerd._

She opens the envelope and unfolds a letter, handwritten on several pages of lined paper. She recognizes his somewhat sloppy writing with his trademark ink smears, the unfortunate result of his left-handedness. She begins to read:

_Dear Beca,_

_I know this is incredibly cheesy, and that I'm a dork, but I just wanted to tell you how I've been feeling without you interrupting me to tell me so. Those few days that we didn't speak were the worst I've had in my life, other than after the Semi-Finals when we didn't speak for weeks. I know it's hard for you to open up, but I need you to believe that you can trust me with anything, you can tell me anything, and I'll still be here loving you._

_I know that we're young. And I know that forever seems crazy, and a super long time from now, but I do think about it sometimes. I don't want to lose you, ever. I've never met anyone more talented, beautiful, or passionate as you before. I felt something with you, an instant connection that I couldn't explain, and all I wanted was to get to know you at first. And I ended up finding out that you're amazing, and completely perfect for me. Sometimes, that thought scares me to death, because I'm afraid of what the future might bring, but I know that as long as we keep communicating, keep allowing ourselves to feel, that everything will work out in the end._

_You don't have to reply to this, or even acknowledge it if you don't want to, I just wanted you to know how I feel. All I ask is that you don't run away from me again._

_I love you,_

_Jesse_

She rereads it several times before carefully folding it and tucking it into her jewelry box along with the miniature paper plane he threw at her on their first date.

Two days later Jesse walks into his room to find an envelope addressed to him on his desk. The return address reads: _Wishing you were here._

He opens it to find a single folded sheet of paper, handwritten in purple ink.

_Dear Jesse,_

_You are a dork, but I love you for it. I'm sorry I shut you out, and I'll do my best never to do it again. I'm afraid of ending up like my parents, who got married only to fall out of love with each other. And even though I'm absolutely sure about how I feel about you now, I know that things can change. You're wonderful, and I know that I could spend my life searching and I would never find another guy better than you, so I've decided to stop looking, and just allow myself to feel. Thank you for being such a weirdo, my weirdo._

_I love you too,_

_Beca_

He smiles, relieved as he refolds the note and places it carefully in his sock drawer, because it's for his eyes only.

Eight months later and they're sitting together on the quad in their spot discussing the upcoming campus a cappella show that is to be held in just a few days. The proceeds from the show will go to sending them to Nationals, in the event that they go.

He's lying on his back with his head in her lap, his face turned up towards the sun. She plays with his hair and he sighs. He's so much more at ease now that his presentation with Stephanie is over, and they had aced it. He'd been more considerate and attentive towards her and her feelings since her minor freak-out a month ago, and they had grown even closer as a result.

"Hey Bec," he says sleepily, "Stephanie's probably coming to the show, just wanted to give you a head's up."

"It's cool," she replies, "More money for airfare that way."

She would never admit this to him, but when she knows that they're going to be around Stephanie she always makes sure she looks good. Beca always tries to look nice, in her own alternative way, but she pays extra attention to her outfit selection, makeup, and hair on the night of the show. The Bella's have all agreed to wear all black outfits for the night along with their trademark high heeled black and white chucks, and she dresses in a short tight black leather pencil skirt, and a black lacy top which shows off her cleavage nicely. She styles her hair in loose curls and wraps her Bellas scarf around her wrist as usual before going out the door to the show.

The BU Harmonics perform first, and the other three groups sit in the audience to watch them. Then it's the Treblemakers, the High Notes, and finally the Barden Bellas. Beca scans the crowd and sees Stephanie seated with some other girls a few rows behind her to the right.

When Jesse and the Trebles take the stage, she glances again over at Stephanie and sees that she's practically salivating over her man. Beca narrows her eyes in Stephanie's direction as she turns her attention back to the stage as Jesse takes the lead in Fall Out Boy's My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark, the whole while never taking his eyes off her. And now it's Stephanie's turn to glare at her.

After the High Notes botch their performance, she stands with the Bellas and heads to the stage.

They start singing and dancing, and Beca is working harder than usual to complete the sexy choreography as Cynthia Rose had instructed her. In the audience, Jesse can't take his eyes off his girlfriend.

He hears a guy behind him said, "Hey check out the one in the middle in the lace," and another guy reply, "Smokin' hot." He smiles, because she's with him.

"I hate you, man," Benji says jokingly, punching Jesse in the shoulder as Beca continues to turn up the heat on stage, every now and then shooting him a suggestive glance.

When their set ends, he stands up to applaud with the rest of the audience. She descends the steps of the stage and is met by one of the guys who had been seated behind Jesse.

"Hey, I'm Chad," he says, extending his hand for her to shake, "And you are?"

"Beca," she replies politely, looking past him for Jesse.

"You were amazing up there," Chad tells her, looking her up and down, "And I was wondering if maybe you'd like to get out of here and get something to eat?'

Jesse is on his way to greet her when he is intercepted by Stephanie, who not so coincidently has dolled herself up, dressing more sexy than usual as she struts over to him. "Hey Jesse," she says, linking elbows with him, "You were great up there."

"Um, yeah thanks," he replies absently as he removes himself from her grasp and walks towards where Beca is standing, chatting with some random guy.

"I know this sounds forward," Chad is saying as Jesse approaches, "But you looked smokin' hot up there."

"Hell yeah she did," Jesse tells Chad as he grabs Beca, pulling her to him before pressing his lips to hers. He kisses her with all the passion he can muster, his tongue tangling with hers as she threads her fingers in his hair. They don't notice that Stephanie storms away from them in a huff, her heels clicking loudly against the floor. They don't see that Chad gapes at Jesse for a moment before turning back to his buddies in defeat. They don't care about anything except the feel of each other, and when they do finally pull apart they're both panting.

"Let's get out of here," he says, his intensity causing a chill to travel up her spine as he takes her hand and leads her out of the auditorium.

"Jesse, what are you—" she starts to ask, but he's walking too quickly to hear her. She's practically running, trying to keep up with him. She's out of breath by the time they reach the Treble house, but he doesn't stop walking until they're in his room, the door closed behind them. And suddenly, he's pressing her against the wall, kissing her all over.

"Jesse, wait," she says, gripping his shoulders.

He pulls away to look at her, "You just don't get it, do you?" He runs his hands through his hair, pacing the room.

"What don't I get? That Stephanie was making eyes at you? Yeah, I caught that part," she says sarcastically.

"No," he's emphatic, "That every single straight male in that auditorium wanted you. For God's sake Beca,_ look_ at you."

She laughs, "Is this because of that guy Chad asking me out?"

He sighs, exasperated, "No, it's because everywhere you go you already attract attention. You don't need to do this," he gestures to her clothes, "To prove anything. Believe me, guys notice you."

"I didn't dress like this to get attention from a bunch of losers," she admits, "I did it because of Stephanie."

"Wait, what?"

"I wanted her to back off, once and for all. I wanted you to notice, too," she says.

"Believe me, I noticed. I always notice," he replies. "My God, you were just so sexy up there. I don't like that other guys were thinking of you that way. I don't even think Benji was breathing the whole time you were performing."

She laughs, "Ok, fine. I'll never wear this outfit again." She bites her lip and slowly reaches behind her back to unzip the skirt.

"Beca," he warns, but the humor is back in his voice again. He walks over to her and grasps her hips, pulling her flush against him. "You are going to be the death of me," he whispers into her hair before kissing her, hard.

It turns out that she doesn't wear the lacy top again, but it's not because she doesn't want to. It's just not wearable after Jesse tears it from her body that night, ripping it to shreds.

Eight years later and she's lying in a hospital bed as another contraction rips through her. She's curled on her side, gripping the bed rails as she tries to breathe through the pain. When the anesthesiologist arrives with the epidural, she's elated.

The epidural takes effect almost immediately, and she's told she can rest while she waits until it's time to push. Jesse lays on the couch in the delivery room, and she tries to sleep, but the sound of the fetal monitor keeps jarring her awake. The sound of the baby's heartbeat is comforting, and when she starts to doze off she can't hear it anymore and jolts awake. Hours later, a nurse comes in to check on her and reports that she's fully dilated.

And so the pushing begins, and it's the hardest thing she's ever done in her life. She waits for a contraction to start, then pushes for ten seconds, takes a breath, and pushes again so that she's pushing three times in a row for ten seconds each. It takes her a few tries to learn how to push correctly. Jesse is holding back one of her legs, and the nurse the other.

Beca doesn't care that a whole army of different medical professionals come in and out of the room and see her like this. She just wants the pain, and the pushing, to stop. After almost two hours of this the doctor holds up her hand, "Ok Beca, I need you to stop pushing."

She's crying now, exhausted from the effort and the agony. And then she hears it, a tiny gasp followed by the cry of her newborn and Jesse's voice saying "Oh my God!" over and over again. They place the bundle on her chest and she gazes upon the face of her daughter for the first time. It is the happiest moment of her life. She's instantly in love with this little miracle.

Jesse is kissing her over and over again, repeating words of love and adoration. The baby is whisked away to be examined, cleaned, measured, and weighed. She finally lays her head back and breathes.

"She's perfect," Jesse says in complete adoration. "Beca, you're amazing, I love you so much."

The nurse returns the baby to Beca, wrapped in a blanket and wearing a tiny cap with a bow on top. Her eyes are closed and she's just so small. "She's perfectly healthy, congratulations," the nurse says as she leaves the couple to enjoy their new daughter.

Beca can't stop smiling, and her heart melts when she sees her husband hold their daughter for the first time, pressing a kiss to her forehead and whispering, "Happy birthday Melody Claire Swanson, Daddy loves you so much." And she falls in love with him all over again.

It's a crazy day filled with visitors and nurses and doctors, and she's never been more tired or happy. Late that night they're sitting together on her hospital bed while she nurses the baby and Jesse lovingly strokes Melody's head.

"Thank you for making me a daddy," he whispers to Beca.

"Thank you for making me a mommy," she replies, cradling Melody in her arms.

Later, when Melody wakes in the darkness, it's Jesse who gets up to tend to her. "Sleep," he whispers to Beca, and she sighs sleepily, grateful. She's just dozing off when she hears her husband speaking in a hushed tone.

"Hi, I'm your daddy. That's mommy over there, but we're going to let her sleep. I'm so happy you're here. You're daddy's little angel, you know that? And I promise you I will always be there for you, to love you, to protect you, and to take care of you. And you're so, so lucky, because you have the most amazing woman in the world as your mommy. And I know when you're older, you'll probably get mad at me when I won't let you date until you're at least 35, but I promise you this, I will never leave you or your mommy. You are my whole world, my life."

Beca doesn't let on that she hears him as her eyes fill with tears. Her love for this man knows no bounds.

And then he starts singing softly. She recognizes the tune as Stevie Wonder's Isn't She Lovely, and she sits up in bed in order to sing Melody to sleep with him.

Her father and Sheila visit the next day, and while her dad holds Melody she smiles at him and says, "Hey dad, thanks for making me go to Barden nine years ago." Her dad looks at her questioningly before she adds, "It brought me to Jesse."

She cradles Melody in her arms as Jesse sits beside them, overjoyed to now be a family of three.


	9. Nine

Nine seconds into the kiss and she's breathless, because God this boy can kiss. And she feels like an idiot for not doing this sooner.

Nine minutes after and they're watching a group perform Survivor's Eye of the Tiger when he turns around and says "This is a great song written for Rocky III, because when it plays in the movie the excitement really builds for the audience."

She laughs, "You are such a dork," she teases with a wink.

Nine hours later, and Benji awakes in order to make his third trip of the night to the bathroom. As he vows to himself never to drink again, he gazes upon the sleeping faces of Jesse and Beca in the next bed. They are wrapped into each other, with her head on his chest and his arms around her, smiling contentedly in their sleep. Benji grins at his friends as he continues on his path to relief.

Nine days after the kiss and she can't stop thinking about him. He's invaded every part of her brain, and she's sitting in her Intro to Philosophy class which was dull already daydreaming about their previous night together. She shifts uncomfortably in her seat as she recalls with perfect clarity the way his lips felt against her skin. And suddenly, it's very warm in the lecture hall.

It's as if someone has flipped a switch inside her. She's never relied on anyone, never needed anyone in her life, but she can't help it, she wants him. _Get a grip, Mitchell,_ she mentally chastises herself, but nothing seems to be working. Her mind wanders back to how his touch sent shivers up her spine. She clenches her fists under her desk, trying desperately to just get through the class.

She always meets Jesse for lunch after this class, and she knows he has a break until two o'clock that afternoon. So, he isn't surprised when she's waiting for him outside the Mathematics building.

"Hey," he greets her warmly before giving her a quick kiss, "How was class?"

"I have no idea," she tells him, "I had trouble paying attention. How was yours?"

"Same," he replies, taking her hand in his as they walk in the direction of the dining hall. "What were you thinking about?"

"You," she answers before pulling him down a path that leads between two of the academic buildings and kissing him, hard. He responds immediately, pulling her body towards him, his tongue seeking entrance in her mouth. When the kiss becomes too heated for their very public location, he reluctantly pulls away from her.

"See what you've done to me?" she breathes into his neck.

"Pun intended?" he jokes, and she nips at his skin, dissolving all traces of laughter from his face. "Come with me," he says, taking her hand in his again and leading her in the direction of his dorm.

"Benji has class until two," he explains as he unlocks the door. She smiles, nervously sitting on his bed while he closes and locks the door behind him. He moves to sit beside her. "What is it?" he asks, noticing that she's wringing her hands, a sign that she's nervous.

"I've never done this before," she explains, "Had a relationship, you know?"

"Me neither," he says, "At least not like this."

She nods, "And I've never felt like this, ever."

"Like what?" he questions.

"Like this," she answers softly, cupping his face and kissing him passionately. She's pulling him back on the bed with her when he breaks the kiss to look down at her.

"Me neither," he whispers in a husky tone before kissing a path from her lips, down her neck, and is almost to her breasts when he stops suddenly.

"Jesse!" she shifts impatiently beneath him, and he chuckles smugly. "I hate you," she adds.

"I think it's pretty clear that you don't," he teases.

She runs her hand along the inseam of his jeans and he freezes, the smug expression gone. "Shut up Swanson and kiss me," she demands.

"Yes ma'am," he replies, and he lowers his lips to hers once more.

When Benji arrives back to the room later that afternoon he notes the disheveled state of Jesse's bed he shakes his head and says aloud, "Good thing I didn't skip class like I wanted to."

Nine weeks pass and it's still the never-ending summer. It's around eleven at night and she can't sleep. She wonders if he's also awake and decides to call him.

"Beca?" she hears a woman's voice say. She looks at her phone again, checking to make sure she dialed Jesse's number.

"Yes?" she says hesitantly.

"Hi, this is Jesse's mother," the voice says, "He's out tonight and left his phone behind. When I saw it was you calling I thought I'd say hello."

"Oh, hi. Can you just let Jesse know that I called to say goodnight?" Beca asks.

"Yes sure dear," Mrs. Swanson replies, "Oh, and Beca? My son has been so happy since you two got together. I can tell he misses you a lot since he's been moping around here lately, but I finally convinced him to go hang out with some of his high school friends tonight."

"Oh, that's good," Beca tells her, "I hope he's having fun."

"Oh he should be, they're quite the gang," Mrs. Swanson continues, and Beca smiles to herself, thinking that this is who Jesse gets his friendly, talkative side from. "He's known Tom, Mike, and Jason since grade school, and Lizzie and Suzanne since high school."

Lizzie? Beca frowns, knowing that's the name of Jesse's only ex-girlfriend, the one he lost his virginity to the night of his senior prom.

"Anyone would be lucky to have a friend like Jesse," she manages to say, keeping her voice as even as possible. "Well I better get going to bed. It was nice talking to you Mrs. Swanson."

"Likewise," the older woman replies, "Goodnight dear."

Beca hangs up the phone and stares at the ceiling of her bedroom. She knew that Jesse and Lizzie had dated, but he hadn't mentioned still being in touch with her. Beca tries not to worry about it, and eventually falls asleep a few hours later.

She wakes the next morning to the sound of her cell phone ringing. "Hello?" she says groggily.

"Good morning," his voice is chipper on the line.

"How is it that you're this happy this early when you're the one who was out late last night?" she mumbles.

"It's all part of my charm," he quips. "So I hear you talked to my mom?"

"Yeah, she seems really nice. She told me she practically had to force you to go out with the guys, and you know, Lizzie and Suzanne too."

She hears him sigh into the phone, "Lizzie is just a friend."

"A friend that you slept with," she clarifies, "And dated."

"It was barely a relationship," he corrects, "We only had sex once, and it was awkward. Jason invited her last night. I didn't know she was going to be there."

Beca doesn't say anything for a moment. "I never talk to her outside of seeing her occasionally at group gatherings," he insists.

"Ok," she says quietly, "I just don't like the idea of her, Jesse. You had sex with her. When I think about that I just feel…"

"Uncontrollable rage?" he fills in the blank for her.

She laughs, "Well, yes."

"I know," he says. "That's how I feel when I picture you with someone else too."

"You don't have to worry about that, nerd," she teases, the humor back in her voice.

"Oh, I know," he says confidently, "I can't help it that I'm so irresistible to you."

"Try irritating," she corrects, and he laughs before she adds, "Hey Jesse?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Nine months later and Jesse is frantic. He's called her almost fifty times in the last three hours and every call goes straight to voicemail. With every minute that passes he becomes more anxious, especially with the worsening weather conditions.

Earlier that day the radio station manager had asked her to drive a few hours up north to pick up a shipment of new music from this trendy little music shop that he knew about. He explained that the manager had contacts in L.A. that might help her in the future and wanted her to meet the guy. Jesse was going to go with her, but she insisted that he stay on campus, not wanting him to skip his classes to make the trip.

He'd reminded her before she'd driven off in Benji's car that the weather was going to turn bad around dusk, and that the forecast called for heavy rain and winds. She told him not to worry, that she'd be back long before dark, and had kissed him goodbye. That was the last he'd heard from her.

He got the number of the music shop from the station manager after an hour had passed and she hadn't answered her cell phone. The shop owner said she'd left five hours ago. It was only a two hour drive.

He called the police, but they said she had to be missing for twenty-four hours before he could file a missing persons report. Next, he called Beca's father.

"Call everyone she knows and see if they've heard from her," Dr. Mitchell told him. "I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding. Maybe she just made another stop on the way home."

Jesse called all of their friends, even Beca's mother, but nobody had heard from her at all. One by one, their friends arrived at the Treble house, knowing that when Beca arrived she would bring the car keys back to Benji.

Three hours turns into four, then five, then six, and still no signs of Beca. He hasn't sat down in the past two hours. He hasn't eaten since lunch time. His friends have been trying to make light of things by playing games and watching movies, but he can't shake the gnawing feeling that something is terribly wrong.

"I need a car," he says suddenly, "Does anyone have one I can borrow?"

"Call Beca's dad again," Benji suggests, "I'm sure he'll drive you."

When Dr. Mitchell hears that his daughter is still unaccounted for at this late hour, he tells Jesse that he and Sheila will both drive over right away in separate cars. When they arrive Sheila stays to wait for news at the Treble house while Dr. Mitchell and Jesse go out to look for Beca. Benji insists on driving the car, as Jesse is in no shape to do it, and they both drive off, each in the direction of one of the two major highways that she could have taken home from the music shop.

It's pouring so hard that they can barely see the road ahead of them, and the wind keeps throwing the car all over the road, making it difficult for Benji to stay in his lane. He drives slowly, keeping careful control of the car while Jesse looks out in every direction, searching for signs of Beca.

"Benj, what if something's happened to her? What if—"

"Dude, don't," Benji responds, "Don't go there. We'll find her."

Jesse's hands are shaking as he dials Beca's number for what feels like the millionth time. "Why isn't her phone working? What if she's had an accident, or was kidnapped, or—"

"I know, I know," Benji tries to calm his friend, "I care about her too, man."

_She's my life, _Jesse thinks but doesn't say anything for the next hour as they drive. They only pass a few cars on the drive, probably due to the deteriorating weather conditions.

"There's the car!" Benji suddenly exclaims, snapping Jesse out of the fog he's been in, and sure enough, Benji's car is off on the grassy embankment on the side of the highway. They pull into the shoulder and Jesse is out of the car before it even comes to a complete stop.

"Beca!" he's shouting. It is pouring rain, and freezing cold, and he can barely see with the wind whipping the water in every direction. He starts pounding on the windows of the car, and thinks he sees the faint outline of her lying in the backseat. "I need something to break the window!" he calls back to Benji who is just getting out of Sheila's car. They rummage in the trunk and find a tool box that has a hammer in it. They break a hole in the window and reach through to pull open the lock.

"Oh my God, Beca!" Jesse exclaims as he flings open the door to reveal his girlfriend, curled onto her side and shivering. "Beca? Are you hurt?"

She opens her eyes a little and blinks at him. She tries to respond, but she's shivering too much to talk. She's clutching something tightly in her hand, and he sees that it's her cell phone, the touch screen smashed to bits.

"Maybe you shouldn't move her, if she's been in an accident," Benji suggests, but Jesse scoops her up bridal style, carrying her to the waiting car.

"There's no sign of damage to the car," Jesse points out, "We need to get her warm. Call Dr. Mitchell and tell him we found her. Tell him to call the others back at the house."

Her clothes are wet and clinging to her, and her hair is stiff with cold as he gets into the backseat of Sheila's car, holding her in his lap.

"Turn up the heat!" Jesse shouts to Benji, who has climbed back into the driver's seat.

"Should we take her to the hospital?" Benji asks.

"I don't know, but I need to get her out of these wet clothes. Do we have anything to dry her off with?"

"I think I saw a blanket in the trunk," Benji replies, before going to check. "Here," he hands it over to Jesse.

"Ok, let's get her out of here," Jesse tells his friend, and they start driving back in the direction of Barden.

He starts removing Beca's wet clothing starting with her jacket and shirt, followed by her jeans and socks, leaving her in just a bra and panties. He removes his own shirt and pulls her into his lap, pressing skin to skin as he wraps her in the blanket. She feels like ice against his chest and he shivers. "It's ok, I've got you," he whispers to her as she buries her face into his neck. As they drive, he alternates between kissing her softly on top of her head, and whispering how much he loves her and how worried he was when he didn't know where she was.

Eventually, she stops shivering and he hears her voice for the first time since she left that day. "J-Jesse? I'm s-sorry," she starts. "The car, it broke down so I pulled over. When I got out to check the engine my phone fell out of my pocket and smashed. It was getting dark so I locked myself in the car and thought I'd try to walk and get help once the weather cleared up. I must have fallen asleep. I was so, so cold."

"I'm just happy you're safe," he replies, cradling her to him. Once she's warm again, Beca insists that she feels fine, so they opt to return back to campus. Her father and Sheila are the only ones left by the time they get back in the early hours of the morning. Jesse refuses to let her walk, carrying her into the house in their still half-dressed state. After her father and Sheila leave, he brings her up to his room. He hasn't said much for the last hour, and as he hands her one of his shirts and a pair of his boxers to wear to bed, she breaks the silence.

"What is it, Jesse?" she asks tentatively.

He changes into his pajamas and climbs into bed, reaching out to her, "Come here," he says softly. She crawls into bed beside him and he holds her close, her back against his chest. "I was so worried about you, Bec. I didn't know what happened to you. For hours, every possible worst-case scenario went through my mind. I didn't know if you were even still _alive_, Beca. I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to you."

"I'm ok," she assures him, "I'm right here." She shifts in his arms, pressing a light kiss to his lips. "I'm not going anywhere," she says, looking directly into his eyes.

He kisses her then, pouring all the emotion and angst of the day into that kiss. The kiss starts out slow and builds in intensity with each passing second. She senses his desperation as he covers her body with his own. He needs to feel her, he needs to love her. There are tears in his eyes as their bodies join, and he buries his face in her hair. "I love you," she whispers into the darkness, "I'm here." It breaks her heart to know that she made him worry like that. She's never seen him cry before now.

"I love you," he replies, "God, Beca." And she knows how he feels, that the words don't ever seem like enough. Instead, she tries to show him.

Later, he pulls her on top of him, wanting to feel the weight of her on him while they sleep.

Nine years pass and they have just celebrated Melody's first birthday. The first year as new parents was a difficult one, as life with an infant always is, but it was filled with wonderful moments and memories that they would cherish always. Beca had returned to work twelve weeks after Melody was born, and had taken the night shift so that she could be with the baby during the day and Jesse could be with her at night. The good thing about it was that at night Beca played her music when the radio station turned exclusively into dance music at night. The bad thing about it was that she and Jesse rarely saw each other during the week.

She loved being a mother, but she missed her husband. Melody required most of her attention and energy, leaving little left for her to focus on Jesse.

Jesse was feeling the same way. He adored Melody and loved being a father, but he missed his wife. He knew that it was only temporary, as when Melody started school they wouldn't have to maintain this schedule, but he wasn't sure he could handle it for another four years.

One night Beca arrives at work for her shift. She's sitting in the booth when the station manager walks in and sits down beside her. They've been friends since Beca started working there after graduating college.

"I got a call from someone over at Universal Music Group," she tells Beca. "They've heard your music and they're interested in meeting with you."

"What?" Beca is shocked. Universal is the biggest record label in the country. "When?"

"Tomorrow at noon, can you get a sitter?"

"Yeah, I'll take care of it," Beca replies, her heart pounding with excitement.

She doesn't get a chance to tell Jesse, since he's sleeping when she gets home late that night and he leaves for work before she wakes. The next day she drops Melody off at Chloe's on the way to the meeting.

When Jesse arrives home from work that evening, he finds his wife sitting at their dining room table, a candlelight dinner waiting for him.

"Beca, what's this?" he asks. "Don't you have to leave for work? Where's Melody?"

"Staying the night at Chloe's," she explains. "I have news," she tells him, gesturing for him to sit. When he does, she takes a breath, "I met with some people at Universal today, and they offered me a job. They heard my music on the radio and wanted to meet me! I'll be actually making music, Jesse! It's what I've always wanted to do!"

He jumps up from his seat and hugs her, "Oh my God, Becs, that's amazing!" he says, kissing her. "I'm so proud of you!"

"It's a lot more money," she says excitedly, "And I know I won't be able to take care of Melody, but we can afford daycare with my new salary!"

They talk about the details while they eat, and as Jesse tells her about his day at work she finds herself staring at him in the candlelight.

"Jesse," she breathes, and he stops talking to look at her, "I miss you."

He stands slowly, placing his napkin on the table as he leans over to blow out the candle nearest to him. He reaches for her hand, pulling her to her feet. "I miss you too," he says, grazing his lips over the sensitive skin just under her ear.

"Jesse," she says again in the way that he loves, and she tugs at his tie, winding it around her wrist as she pulls him down to her level and kisses him. The kiss quickly builds in intensity, and he lifts her, sitting her on the edge of the table as she winds her legs around his waist. She removes his jacket and tie, dropping them to the floor before starting to work on the buttons of his shirt.

He snuffs the second candle, casting the room into near total darkness as he picks her up again and walks her into the living room, stumbling slightly on his pants that are now around his ankles. They laugh as he deposits her on the sofa, removing the last of her clothing before lowering himself onto her.

They make love there slowly, relishing the feel of each other after so many months of constant strain and stress. And after, he's lying with his head on her chest while she strokes his hair lovingly.

"Jesse?" she asks.

"Mmm?"

"Am I a good mother?"

"Of course," he sits up, turning to look at her, "How can you even question it?"

"Because I'm going to leave my baby to go to work."

"But you can't pass up an opportunity like this. You've worked so hard for this, Bec," he insists.

"I know," she sighs, "But I don't want Melody to think I don't love her. I don't want her to feel lonely."

"Beca," he stares directly into her eyes, "This last year has been hard, and I've spent almost every day missing you, but I have never, not even for one second, doubted your love for me."

"Ditto," she replies, before kissing him lightly on the lips.

They stand, climbing the steps to their bedroom in the darkness. And after they're wrapped in the sheets of their bed, he turns to her and says, "I'm so happy that all of your dreams are finally coming true."

"They already had," she replies, and before she realizes what's happening, he's hovering above her once more, clearly eager to get started on round two.


	10. Ten

Ten seconds into the kiss, and he realizes he's in love with her. He's known for a while now, but when she moans ever so softly into his mouth, he admits to himself that he's a goner.

Ten minutes later and they're standing to applaud an outstanding performance. She wraps her arms around his neck from behind and says into his ear, "Don't worry nerd, if we win I might let you visit the trophy every now and then."

And he can't think of a witty response with her touching him like that.

Ten hours later and they awake to the sound of a buzzing alarm clock. He reaches out and slaps it, nearly knocking it off the nightstand in the process. He rolls over to find that she's already half out of bed. She leans over and gives him a quick peck on the lips before going to open the door.

"Thanks for a great night," she says to him with a wink as she turns to leave.

Ten days pass and they're working at the radio station together. There're more CDs and albums to stack than usual, and they've been working for hours already. She bends to lift a jam packed crate.

"Oh my God, ow!" she yells, almost dropping the crate before setting it on the cart and rubbing her shoulder.

"Are you ok?" he asks, running over to her.

"Yeah, I just think I pulled a muscle in my shoulder," she says, trying to move it, "Ouch!"

"Don't move it," he tells her, "You should go home and rest. Take some ibuprofen, it'll reduce inflammation. Oh! And you can head over to the Treble house and soak in the hot tub."

"Thank you Dr. Swanson," she teases, but it hurts a lot, so she tells Luke she's leaving early and heads out the door.

"I'll bring your bag later, ok?" he says, and with a peck to his lips she's gone.

She decides that a soak in the hot tub sounds pretty amazing, so she goes to her dorm to retrieve her bathing suit, towel, and a change of clothes and walks over to the Treble house. The door is unlocked and she lets herself in, turning on the hot tub before going into the bathroom to change into her simple black bikini.

She drops her towel on the floor beside the hot tub and climbs in, fanning her hair over the side so it won't get wet, and relaxes.

She's enjoying the feel of the jets hitting her sore shoulder when she hears the door open and close. She opens her eyes and frowns when she sees that the intruder is Bumper.

"Did John Mayer fire your sorry ass already?" she asks him.

"No, I'm just taking a mini hiatus from singing to check on you losers," he replies. "And why may I ask are you in enemy territory soaking in my hot tub?"

"Jesse said it was ok," she said, "You know since I have an injured shoulder and all."

"Whatevs," he replies, disappearing into the house.

And one by one, the Trebles arrive back at the house, and one by one, they all join her in the hot tub. When Jesse arrives there after his shift, it's a ratio of nine males to one female, and they're all laughing at something she's just said.

"Hey," she says when she sees him standing in the entrance. "These losers were just keeping me company." She stands and climbs out of the hot tub, all ten pairs of male eyes trained on her as she bends to retrieve her towel. The bikini leaves little to the imagination, and her tattoos are all clearly visible.

"See you later, nerds," she calls over her shoulder as she heads into the direction of the bathroom to change.

Donald whistles as Bumper turns to Jesse and says, "Nice piece of ass there, man."

"What the hell are you doing here? John Mayer fire you?" Jesse snaps.

"Your little hot ass made the same joke," Bumper replies. "Are you going after her, because if you don't, I'm sure as hell going to."

Jesse narrows his eyes at Bumper just as Beca returns, now fully dressed. "Ready?" she asks Jesse, before turning to leave.

"Bumper's an asshole," they say in unison as the door closes, and she smiles at him.

"Does your shoulder feel any better?" he asks, taking the small bag with her bathing suit and towel in it from her as they walk.

"Yeah, thanks," she says, "The hot tub was a great idea."

He shakes his head at her, "What am I going to do with you?" he says under his breath, but she hears him.

"I know, I'm a horrible klutz with apparently very weak shoulders," she quips.

"No," he replies, "How did you end up in there with every single one of the Trebles with you?"

"I don't know," she answers, "They all sort of just got in. We were talking and joking around. It was fun."

"It's no wonder you didn't have many girlfriends before the Bellas," he points out, "Because you attract men like a moth to a flame."

"I do not!" she protests.

"Yeah you do," he points at himself, "Case and point."

"Not a good enough example, weirdo," she retorts.

"Where did you get that bikini, by the way, from the 80% off rack?" he kids.

"Very funny," she rolls her eyes at him, smiling.

"I like it," he says, stopping and pulling her by the hips towards him.

"Oh, do you now?" she teases.

"Yeah," he says more softly, "A lot."

He kisses her then, and she melts into him. She moves to wrap her arms around his neck. "Ow!" she exclaims as pain shoots down her shoulder.

"Come on million dollar baby, let's get you home," he says, leading her back to her dorm.

Ten weeks after the kiss and it is_ still_ summer. She's sitting on her bed late at night surfing the web when she receives an incoming video chat request from him. She answers to see him also sitting in his room wearing his pajamas.

"Hey," he greets her, "What are you up to?"

"Searching dating websites for the man of my dreams," she replies, "You?"

"What a coincidence! Me too!" he replies, and she laughs. They talk about their days for a while before he asks, "Hey Bec? Do you still have that Bella's uniform? You know the flight attendant looking one?"

"Umm, yeah," she answers, "Why?"

"No reason," he has that dorky grin again.

"Jesse," she warns, "Tell me."

"Well, I uh-," he pauses, "Thought it was kinda…sexy."

"No you didn't!" she gasps, laughing.

"Yeah, I did," he admits, "On you at least."

"Want me to put it on right now?" she asks him, and he swallows.

"Wouldn't that be kind of mean, considering I'm here and you're there?" he questions.

"Nah," she replies before disappearing for a moment. He hears a commotion in the background before she reappears wearing the outfit. She twirls in front of the camera, giving him a full view. "Well?"

"Hot," he tells her, but she can tell he's joking with her.

"You ass!" she snaps, "You made me put on this ridiculous get-up for you!"

They're both laughing, him so hard that he's rolling on his bed. She pulls the jacket off, throwing it to her bedroom floor as she scowls at him.

He looks up in time to see her slowly unbuttoning the white blouse. When she makes it past her breasts he notes that she's not wearing a bra. His Adam's apple bobs as he swallows hard, and just as she is about to remove the top and expose her creamy skin to him the screen goes black. When the picture returns she's back to wearing her pajama top again.

"Hey, what the heck?" he's bewildered.

She just smiles coyly, "Oops, my bad."

"You evil temptress," he replies. "You just wait. When we get back to Barden I'll have weeks of built-up torment to inflict on you," he says with a wink.

"Looking forward to it," she winks back at him.

Ten months later and she's making a name for herself on campus. After setting up playlists and acting as the DJ for several a cappella parties, other students and groups had approached her and asked her to DJ their parties. Some of them even offered to pay her. She was thrilled because she loved doing it, and the extra cash sure didn't hurt either.

She was exhausted one morning after spending most of the previous night working an off campus fraternity party when she wakes to the sounds of Jesse typing on his computer.

"Hey," he says, noticing that she is awake, "Sorry, I finally got an idea for this paper I have due on Monday."

"It's ok," she replies, "I'll just head back to my room and sleep for the next year."

She stands and stretches, wearing only a tank top and shorts, and bends to retrieve her sweatshirt and jeans from the floor.

"Hey Bec?" he stands, walking towards her, "What happened here?" He points to her upper right arm, where a purple hand-shaped bruise is forming.

"Oh, that," she says flippantly, "Some frat guy was getting too touchy-feely with me last night. Don't worry. I put him in his place."

"Does it hurt?" he asks, tracing his fingers lightly over the mark.

"No, not really," she replies, "I bruise like a peach. No biggie."

"What fraternity were you at?" he questions.

"Uh, Alpha Beta Oikos?" she replies.

"Now you're just listing random Greek words," he shakes his head at her, laughing. "Seriously Bec, I want to know who did this to you."

"Why, so you can give him a matching bruise? No, Jesse. He was just some asshole that had too much to drink. Please let it go."

And he tries, he really does. But bruises take a while to heal. And every time he looked at it, his anger flared again. He was concerned for Beca, even if she didn't think it was a big deal.

"The next time you go to that frat house to do a party," he tells her a few days later, "I think you should bring me and some of the Trebles with you."

"As what, my entourage of nerd-singers?" she mocks, "Are you serious? Dude, you can't just show up with a bunch of guys to a frat party. They are usually invitation only, and as far as I can tell, they only invite girls."

"Well then you can DJ for a party at the Treble house, and we'll invite a bunch of girls and that fraternity," he responds.

"Fine," she rolls her eyes, "But you're paying me."

On the night of the party, she dresses as she normally does when she's going to DJ. She's wearing a sleeveless royal blue cotton dress with a studded belt cinched at her waist, leggings, and high boots. Her hair is in loose curls and she applies her makeup and usual accessories. When she arrives at the Treble house all Jesse can say is "Wow" as he takes in her appearance.

The guys help her set up, and as the music starts pumping loudly through the speakers guests begin to arrive. She notices that all of the Bellas are here, and some of the High Notes and BU Harmonics show up too. When a big crowd of guys enters at once, she assumes it's the frat guys from the party the other night.

She's busy, and pays little attention to what's going on around her, so invested is she in the music. Her friends and Jesse stop by every now and then to say hello, but she doesn't leave her station in the room.

"Hey hot DJ girl!" she hears a male voice slur, "I brought you a beer!"

"Yeah uh, thanks," she says, sitting it over to the side away from her equipment. The guy tries to talk to her, and in less than a minute Jesse appears out of the crowd.

"Dance with me," he says, extending his hand to her.

"I can't," she says, "I need to stay here."

"Well, I'm paying you for the night, and I say you're going to dance with me," he insists, "Benji will take over."

She shows Benji what to do and takes Jesse's hand and allows him to lead her to the dance floor. Assertive Jesse is sexy, and she can never seem to resist him, especially when he's grinding his body into hers in this way. She's letting herself enjoy the dance as he looks over to the DJ station and sees the frat guy watch them for a moment before he disappears into the crowd. He kisses her lightly on the lips, and when the song ends she insists that she return to her station. They go to relieve Benji, but something is off with him.

His eyes are wild and he seems a bit groggy. "Dude, how much did you drink?" Jesse asks.

"Just this beer that was sitting right there," Benji slurs, pointing to where Beca had left her drink earlier.

"Are you feeling ok?" Beca asks, concern etched across her face as she steadies her friend by placing her hand on his shoulder.

"You're pretty, I love you," Benji mumbles at her.

"Uh…yeah I'm taking you upstairs to your room, you need to lie down," Jesse says, pulling his friend through the mass of people in the direction of the stairs.

When they reach Benji's room Jesse helps him over to the bed. At this point, Benji is even more out of it, and as he nearly passes out on the bed he looks over at Jesse and says, "Dude, I love Beca. She's so awesome and beautiful and perfect. And hot, very hot. She's amazing dude."

"I know," Jesse replies, and with that, Benji is unconscious. Jesse checks to make sure he's breathing, and then quietly leaves the room, vowing to check on him a little while later.

Wait, does his best friend have a crush on his girlfriend? Nah, it was probably just the booze talking. What the hell was in that beer? And then it dawns on Jesse, that beer was intended for Beca. Quickly, he runs downstairs to her.

"Becs, who gave you that beer?" he asks her.

She looks around the room for a moment before spotting the guy, who is now talking to Stacie. "Him, over there," she points before adding, "Why?"

"Because I think he drugged it," Jesse explains before turning around and walking over to the guy, who is handing Stacie a drink. Jesse intercepts it, taking it out of the guy's hands.

"Dude, what's your problem?" the frat guy asks.

"What's yours?" Jesse counters, anger flashing across his face, "I don't appreciate you trying to drug my girlfriend or my friends. Get the hell out of here."

He can tell by the guy's reaction that he knows he's been caught, but he tries to play it cool, "I don't know what you're talking about, man."

Jesse knows he can't call the police, because there's underage drinking going on at the party, but he threatens the kid anyway, "Give it to me, or I'm calling the cops."

A few of the other Trebles have come over after observing the confrontation, and have surrounded the guy. He knows he's outnumbered, and hands over a little bag of pills to Jesse.

The Trebles drag the guy out the door while Beca makes an announcement, "If anyone received a drink from that sleazebag asshole over there, dump it out immediately, it's drugged."

The crowd boos at the guy, a few of the girls tossing their drinks in his face as he's escorted out and tossed onto the front lawn. Jesse walks back over to Beca. "I'm going to go back up and check on Benji."

Benji is still asleep, but appears to be ok for now. The party seems to be wrapping up downstairs, and suddenly Jesse is very tired. He walks halfway down the stairs, stopping to look over at Beca. It could have been her drinking that beer. It could have been on a night when he wasn't there. She announces that it's the final song of the night and the crowd murmurs in disapproval. She's really in her element here, and he's proud of her.

After the last of the guests have left for the night, he takes her hand and leads her to his room, stopping to check on Benji, who is still passed out. When his door finally closes behind them, he breathes a sigh of relief.

"Tired?" she asks as he flops down on the bed, still fully dressed. She stretches out beside him after removing her boots and leggings, threading her fingers through his hair.

"It could have been you," he says softly, looking over at her.

"I know, but it wasn't," she replies, "Not a big drinker, remember?"

"I know," he says, "But I can't help it, I worry about you. If someone ever hurt you, I would kill them. And then I'd be thrown into jail. And then you'd be forced to find someone new. And then when I got out of prison I'd kill that guy too, thus perpetuating a never-ending cycle of death and destruction."

She laughs, "Weirdo," she teases him. "I'm really ok. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can," he answers, "But you can only do so much. You're miniature!"

"I can still take you down," she counters.

He sits up on the bed, "Yeah, right," he laughs, "You couldn't take down a hamster."

She stands up, "I could too."

He stands too, leaning over her, "Prove it."

She removes her belt before dragging the fabric of her dress up over her head, leaving her only in a sexy blue bra and matching panties. He licks his lips inadvertently. "Not fair," he says.

Her hands are balled up in fists, and she starts circling him slowly. "Stop laughing," she scowls as he hunches over, hysterical.

"You should see yourself!" he says, gasping for breath.

"Shut up!" she's trying to remain stoic, and failing miserably. She walks over to him, and when she's sure he's watching, she reaches behind her back and unclasps her bra, letting it fall to the floor. He stops laughing as she slings her arms around his neck and pulls him down, attaching her lips to his in a searing kiss. She pushes him backwards towards the bed, stopping when his legs make contact with the mattress. Then she jumps up and wraps her legs around his waist. Her tongue is in his mouth, and her hands are everywhere, and he pulls her down on top of him as he lies back on the bed. She's straddling him, pinning him to the mattress when she suddenly breaks the kiss.

"I win," she says triumphantly.

She doesn't play fair, but he doesn't care, because what a way to go.

In the morning, Jesse leaves her sleeping form to check on Benji. He's ok, but has a massive headache and almost no memory of the previous evening.

"Did I do anything stupid?" he asks Jesse.

"Um, well," Jesse replies, "You kind of mentioned that you loved Beca, but I'm sure that was just the drugs talking right?"

Benji flushes crimson, "Uh, yeah man," he buries his head in his hands, "You know I care about Beca as a friend. And it's just that I wish I had someone like her, someone who loves me like I know she loves you. She's so brave, and passionate, and fiercely loyal. I'm sorry man, I hope it doesn't make things awkward."

"Don't worry, she didn't hear anything," Jesse assures him. "It's ok, you'll find someone." He pats him on the back before turning to head back to his girlfriend.

He climbs back into bed, spooning behind her as he kisses her neck. "I love you," he whispers into her hair before falling asleep again.

Ten years later and she's content in her new job at Universal, and he's climbing the ladder at his job. Two-year-old Melody is beautiful and seems to love music as much as her parents do. Their home is filled with love, music, movies, and laughter, and there's never a dull moment in their busy lives.

"Hey can you meet me today at the mall for lunch?" she asks him as she leaves for work one morning.

"Sure thing," he nods. They often have lunch in the mall food court, being that it's halfway between their offices and it's a nice way to spend some time alone during the week while having a quick bite to eat. They usually go at least once a week.

He's sitting at their usual table at their usual time waiting for her, the distant drone of the mall's PA system playing a generic pop tune, when suddenly the music grows louder. He realizes it's the opening notes to Simple Minds Don't You Forget About Me. And before he can process what's happening, people are appearing from every corner of the food court, singing and dancing in perfect synchronization to the song.

And then he hears it, her voice. He turns to see her walking towards him, singing into a microphone, her voice amplified by the mall's PA system. He looks at the other people, and realizes they aren't random after all, they're the former Bellas and Trebles from college. They are all their friends.

She sings the entire song to him, and when she's finished, the others all back away together, hugging and high fiving each other as they give the couple a moment of privacy. Before he can say anything, she hands him a small wrapped package.

"I know I'm not one for big, romantic gestures, but you are," she says, smiling at him, "Happy ten years, Jesse."

She places the package on the table in front of him. "Open it," she encourages.

He'd taken her out to dinner on the weekend to celebrate, but they'd agreed on no gifts, "Bec, you didn't have to," he says as he tears the paper and lifts the lid of the box to reveal a small slip of paper with the words written in her handwriting: _And aca-child becomes aca-children. You were right, it's inevitable._

He picks up the note to reveal a pregnancy test underneath, the word 'Pregnant' staring up at him in bold black letters.

"I didn't," she smiles, "You did."

He jumps up, picking her up off the floor and twirling her around before setting her back down. "Oh my God, Beca!"

"Are you happy?" she asks him as he kisses her.

"Every day that I'm with you," he replies, "Thank you for all this."

"No," she responds, cradling his face in her hands, "Thank you. For loving me, for marrying me, for being an amazing husband and father, for being the love of my life. I'm so grateful that I'm the one you sang to from your car that first day, Jesse. I love you so, so much."

"I love you more," he replies, pressing his lips to hers, where they belong.

**A/N:** And so this story comes to an end. Please look for a companion piece detailing more of their married life called So, So in Love with You. If you have any prompts or requests, let me know. Thank you for reading and especially for your reviews and feedback!


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